Destiny of the fathers
by Noemix
Summary: When all seems lost, Merlin's son and daughter have no choice but to go back in time to prevent terrible events. But when they arrive 16 years in the past, before their birth, they find themselves unsure wether they can stop old foes before it's too late...can the destiny of their father be saved? Time travel. Rated T just in case. First fanfic ever so please, read an review.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Everywhere he looked, he could only see chaos. The air echoed with the screams of both camps, and was charged with smoke rising from burning houses and torches that had fallen on the floor. He could hardly tell whether those fighters were friends or foes. After hours of holding it, it seemed like the weight of the sword in his hand was over a ton. The arm that held his shield was numb after taking in dozens and dozens of shots, but he couldn't lower it for the good reason that the minute he did, a sword would try to slay him.

He looked desperately on all sides, looking for those he cared about, to see if they were still alive.

"Gareth! Behind you!"

He turned around just in time to see a soldier about to strike him down. He didn't have time to think of lifting his sword to defend himself; the magic inside him flew and ran in his body, and before he could think about it his eyes turned gold and his enemy was thrown backwards.

He turned around to see the person who had warned him running to him.

"You're all right?" she asked, out of breathe.

He nodded.

"Thanks."

Just like him, she was panting and wore traces of the fight: blood was dripping from a wound on the arm and from her sword; she had a small cut of an eyebrow and her walk was unbalanced, as if she was trying not to stand too hard on a twisted ankle.

"Do you want me to heal you?" Gareth asked, pointing at her wounded arm.

"If you don't mind. I didn't have much time to worry about it, I was looking for you."

Gareth placed a hand above the wound and muttered, "_Yahaele_". His eyes turned bright gold and the wound closed.

"Your ankle?"

"I'm fine", she said. "I just tripped, it's not twisted. Have you seen the others?"

He shook his head. Her blue eyes shined with fear, but there was no sign of it when she spoke.

"The last time I saw Percival and Leon, they were in the courtyard." Gareth remained silent. She carried on. "I've seen Gwaine about ten minutes ago; he was dragging a wounded man away from the fight. Could have been Elyan, I'm not sure."

"We need to get back to the citadel", Gareth finally said. It was the only hope. If the others weren't there-

But they had just taken a few steps when a shout echoed in the lower town: "RETREAT! THEY'VE TAKEN THE CITADEL! RUN!"

The boy and the girl exchanged a desperate look.

"Watch out, Elaine!" Gareth screamed when he saw an arrow appear at the corner of his eyes.

He jumped forward and pushed Elaine on the floor. They both heard the arrow cross the air right where the young girl was standing a second earlier.

They quickly got on their feet and looked around only to see more and more figures running in the dark. The attack had started just before nightfall and carried on for several hours. If it hadn't been for adrenaline, Gareth couldn't have stood on his feet.

"We've got to find Arthur", he said.

"Gareth, if they've taken the citadel, then he must have been…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence.

"What about Erec?" Elaine asked. "Did you see him?"

"He didn't get out of the castle."

Gareth was beginning to hope it was a nightmare and he was going to wake up. They ran to an empty house to keep away from the waves of fighters that kept aiming at them and locked themselves in.

"What do we do?" Elaine asked.

"We can't leave them."

"Gareth, it'll take us hours to reach the castle if we do it right now. There are too many soldiers; it would take too much time."

"If you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

A burning torch flew through an open window and landed in the room. Gareth and Elaine jumped on their feet and were left with no choice but to run out again and try to make their way to the castle. About ten Southrons walked towards them, forming an ambush. Gareth and Elaine exchanged a quick look before their eyes turned gold in perfect unison. The ten men were thrown backwards. The warlock and the witch ran past the training field and managed to reach the gates.

In the courtyard, the knights of Camelot were being forced to draw back. Elaine let out a piercing scream and seized Gareth's arm.

"What?"

She pointed at the bodies lying near the well. Among them were Leon, Percival and Gwaine. Gareth had to find the urge to vomit.

They couldn't see any of the king's close circle's members –Elyan, Erec, Gwen. The knights of Camelot were now fighting by one to four. About a dozen foes surrounded the two young fighters the minute they stepped in the courtyard.

"Gareth, there's too many of them, we have to go", Elaine said.

"Excellent idea!" he shouted.

He grabbed the young girl's wrist. He whispered "_Astyre me thaonweard!_" and his eyes turned gold just before they disappeared in a silver wind.

Gareth and Elaine landed in a clear. After the chaos, the clashing swords and the screams of the battle, the peaceful woods, the cloudless sky and the bright moon seemed unreal.

"Why here?" Elaine asked.

Gareth shrugged.

"First place I could think of."

"What do we do now? Call Kilgharrah?"

Still panting, Gareth nodded. The two teens raised their head and called the dragon in the language only he understood.

A minute later, a large figure shaped in the sky, clouding the moon, and Kilgharrah landed in front of them. It respectfully bowed its head in front of them.

"Are you OK?" Gareth asked.

"My strength is returning", Kilgharrah answered, its large golden eyes staring at the humans. "But I still am not able to fight by your side."

"Did you fly above Camelot?"

"Yes".

"What did you see?" Elaine asked, not sure whether she wanted to know.

The dragon sighed.

"The gates of the castle were closed when I passed by", it answered. "The knights of the Round Table are dead."

These words felt like a shot in the heart for Gareth and Elaine.

"What about Erec? And Arthur?" Gareth asked.

Kilgharrah's eyes filled with sorrow.

"Young warlock…the Pendragons are no more."

Gareth's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Elaine's eyes filled with tears. The boy collapsed on the grass and buried his face in his hands. The dragon's voice seemed to come from very far. "I am sorry."

"It's over", Elaine whispered with such a shaking voice he almost didn't hear. "Everything's over. They've won."

"There has to be something…" Gareth said in a breath. "Something we can do…"

He blinked to chase the moisture in his eyes. Kilgharrah, Gareth and Elaine remained quiet for a moment, as though paying tribute to their lost ones.

After a moment, the dragon broke the silence.

"Maybe all is not lost, young Dragonlords."

Elaine and Gareth raised their heads at the same time.

"What do you mean?"

"There is still a way", Kilgharrah said. "A way to rebuild everything that has been destructed, to do everything that has been undone, to repair the damages. To change what has happened."

"How?" Gareth asked.

The dragon stared intensely at them.

"By going back where everything that has taken place can still be avoided and _prevented_ from happening."

There were a few silent seconds. Gareth was the first one to understand what the dragon meant.

"You want us to go back in time?"

Elaine opened shocked eyes.

"We are running out of time, young Dragonlords", the dragon said gravely. "We need to act now while we still can. If we do not, then Albion will fall along with destiny."

"Destiny?" Elaine almost shouted. "It failed us already! It died with our father. Have you forgotten?"

Gareth looked down. He wanted nothing more than to fall on the fresh grass and cry. What more could be taken from them? His father, his friends, his home…

"It is the only way", Kilgharrah insisted.

"Wait, wait", Elaine said firmly, but Gareth could hear the tears she was holding back. "Gareth and I have lost our father. The king and his son are dead. You were wounded so badly it's a miracle you're alive. All our friends have been killed or will probably be soon enough, since they're stuck in the citadel. And you just want us to go back in time when we never did this, and don't even how to? Let alone the fact we don't know what we'll do once we're back in time?"

"If you go back, there is still a chance you will keep alive those that have fallen", the dragon insisted. "If you do not, then Albion is doomed."

"Arthur and my father were supposed to bring about the time of Albion! They're both dead now. What difference does it make? Their destiny is lost!"

"Perhaps it is the destiny of the children to save the fathers' one."

When Elaine spoke again, her voice was broken.

"What if we can't stop the future from happening?"

The dragon's voice softened. This time Gareth heard the compassion.

"I am sorry to place such a burden on your shoulders, young Dragonlords. But we do not have a choice."

"He's right." Gareth looked at Elaine. "If there's even one chance we can save the situation, we have to take it. I mean…What have we got to lose? If we're lucky, we could bring back everyone that had died. If we're not…well, the situation can't be worse, can it?"

Elaine bit her lips, tears shining in her eyes. She took a deep breath.

"Very well. How do we do that? We don't know the spell."

"Take hands", Kilgharrah ordered.

Gareth took Elaine's hands in his.

"Before you go", the dragon warned, "I must remind you to focus on your task. You do not know when or where you will be going back. Whatever happens, don't do more than just what is needed to fulfill your goal. If you should reveal too much about you and the time you come from, it could alter the future in a wrong way. The least everybody knows about you, the better it will be."

"We'll have to get in touch with the young Merlin, won't we?" Gareth pointed out.

"Which means we're gonna have to tell him the truth about us? Do you really think we could hide that from him?" Elaine added.

The two golden eyes stared down at the both of them.

"Unless you are really forced to, do _not_ tell Merlin that you are his son and daughter."

Gareth and Elaine glanced at each other.

"But if we have to use our Dragonlord power, he'll know", Gareth said.

"Yes. But do the best you can to hide it from him. The more he will find out about the future, the quicker he will want to make things happen. Your goal is to stop Morgana and Mordred from killing the Pendragon dynasty and take over Camelot, and to bring back Albion. Keep that in mind."

Gareth looked at his sister.

"You're ready?"

"When you are."

"Close your eyes." Kilgharrah demanded.

They obeyed.

The dragon arched his neck and let out a long breath. As he did, Gareth and Elaine felt a new, fresh wave of energy and power envelop them and run through every fiber of their being. It felt like the magic in them was blooming, or bursting into warming flames. When they opened their eyes, their pupils turned briefly gold.

"Thank you", Gareth said.

"And now, be on your way, and remember my words: the least Merlin knows about you, the better it is."

Gareth and Elaine took a deep breath and started speaking the enchantment. Somehow they didn't need to think about the words, they just streamed down their lips like the water of a river. They had never used the spell in their life, but they _knew_. Slowly, all around them, the clear, the dragon, the sky, the stars, colors, sounds, everything started to fade and blurred, as though looked through half-shut eyelids. Coming from somewhere very far away, Kilgharrah's voice echoed in the fog: _Unless you have no choice, don't tell Merlin who you are…Your task is to save Albion and its builders…Never lose sight of your goal…As much as you can, don't tell Merlin who you are…_

Slowly, very slowly, the dark blur of colors and sounds was replaced by a white light that wrapped them, erasing everything around them, blinding them so hard they had to shut their eyes-

Whispers, screams, laughs, cries echoed in their ear-

Until finally, gone were the noises and everything became quiet around them.

Gareth and Elaine opened their eyes and looked where they were.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Merlin shut the door behind him. He had just spent an hour cleaning Arthur's chainmail, polishing his armor and sharpening his sword.

"Am I the only one to hear clinging?" he groaned.

Gaius was reading and didn't lift his head.

"Must be your brain", he muttered.

"Very funny. I wish I was able to do it by magic."

As he thought, this sentence made Gaius look at him severely, one eyebrow raised in a very familiar way.

"Merlin-"

"I'm joking."

Gaius got up and put the book he was reading back on a shelf.

"I just think it's ridiculous. I could have it done so quickly-"

"It's a good thing you have to use your powers for more _useful_ thing", the physician retorted.

"Like what? Save Arthur's royal backside every day? It's becoming routine. He could almost add it to the list of my chores. Clean my shoes, Merlin; polish my armor, Merlin; wash my clothes, Merlin; oh, and don't forget, save my life Merlin."

Gaius was about to answer when a bright, white light suddenly appeared in the middle of room. More than a light, it was a tornado of white and gold winds. The wind lit the whole room, in a light so blinding Merlin was afraid it could be seen from the outside. Gaius and Merlin opened large eyes when the wind of white and gold started fading, revealing two figures that seemed to be humans holding hands.

"What is that?" Merlin screamed, for the tornado made a deafening noise.

Gaius couldn't answer.

The light became less blinding, until finally calm went back in the room, except there were two more people. Merlin looked at them with rounded eyes.

They were a boy and a girl, both teenagers (they looked to be around fifteen). The boy had dark raven hair and dark eyes, and was wearing armor; he had a sword on his side. The girl was dark haired and had blue eyes. She also had a sword, but carried a bow and arrows in her back. They both looked like they had just escaped from a fight: their swords were stained with blood, the girl had a cut on her face, and the boy had ash on his boots. They definitely looked alike, and were probably the same family, but just the same, they looked somehow familiar to Merlin.

Gaius and Merlin looked at the new coming, astonished. The teens didn't immediately spot the physician and the young man.

"That's Gaius's room", the boy said with a surprised voice.

"Weren't we supposed to arrive at the same place we left?" the girl asked.

"How do I know? I never really experienced that kind of spell did I?"

"Well, you were the one who wanted so badly to do it."

"Hey, you spoke the spell with me, it's not my fault."

"God, why couldn't Kilgharrah just tell us what would happen once we've done the spell?"

"Well, if he didn't spoke in riddles there would be no fun, would there?"

"Yeah, well, this time his little riddles could cost us our lives, I mean we don't know when we are, we don't even know who's still alive and who isn't-"

At that moment, the boy spotted Gaius and Merlin. The latter clearly saw something twinkle in his eyes.

"Elaine…"

She stopped talking and looked at the two other people in the room. Her eyes widened.

"Gaius?" she muttered."F-Merlin?"

Gaius and Merlin exchanged a look that clearly said _Do you understand what the hell is going on?_

"Err-hi", the boy tried.

Merlin looked at them, still trying to understand.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh", the boy said, "I'm Gareth, and this is my sister, Elaine."

"Twin sister", Elaine added.

Merlin examined them. He wouldn't have guessed they were twins –they didn't resemble that much. They had the same shape of face –a slim face- and the same height, but that was practically all. What intrigued Merlin was the fact that both reminded him of somebody. Who?

"And…what are you doing here?" the young warlock asked.

The twins exchanged unease look. Gareth glanced down at his shoes.

"Well", Elaine started, "we…it's difficult to explain. We're…kind of…from the future."

Nothing could have caused Merlin and Gaius such shock. Gareth made a face that said something like _Yeah, I know_.

"From the future?" Gaius repeated.

"Yes", Gareth agreed. "We've travelled back in time."

Merlin and Gaius exchanged looks in perfect unison with Gareth and Elaine.

"Uh…could you be a little more precise?" Merlin asked.

The twins sighed.

"Well", Gareth tried. "We come from the future. We cast a spell to take us back in time and-um-here we are."

After a few seconds, Gaius managed to say: "Why did you go back in time?"

Elaine snorted.

"Bit of a long story", Gareth said.

"Not that long if you skip the details", Elaine muttered under her breathe.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Gaius suggested.

The twins took a deep breath.

"Camelot has been attacked", Elaine started. "An army has taken control of it. Everyone we know is dead and we couldn't find a way of stopping them-"

"So we talked to Kilgharrah", Gareth carried on, "who said that the only way to bring everything back to right was to travel back in time to stop the future from happening-"

"And here we are."

Merlin felt a light shiver through his spine. He didn't dare to think of how desperate the situation had to be if the only solution the dragon could think of was to go back in time.

"Why you?" he asked. "Who are you?"

The question obviously made the twins uneasy. They threw each other quick glances, as though waiting for the other to say something. Finally, Elaine replied:"We're warlocks."

"We're close to Camelot", Gareth added. "Very close."

"How many years separate us from your future?" Gaius asked eagerly.

"How old are you?" Elaine asked Merlin.

"Twenty-five."

Gareth and Elaine made a quick calculation. They looked surprised and a little alarmed.

"Maybe we've gone a bit _too_ far in the past", Gareth suggested, frowning.

"We've gone sixteen years back in time." Elaine realized.

Merlin and Gaius wouldn't have thought something could have surprised them even more, but they were wrong. These new were more shocking than he could have imagined –how bad could the situation be sixteen years later if they had to come back now to prevent it from happening?

"Didn't you know how far the spell would take you in the past?" Gaius asked.

"No. It was barely the moment's decision. We just did what the Dragon told us."

"Could you explain us the situation again?" Gaius said. "Who has taken control of Camelot?"

A shadow darkened Gareth's face.

"Morgana."

Gaius's eyes widened.

"Morgana?"

"She's still alive? After sixteen years?" Merlin asked, bewildered.

"Why don't you sit down for a minute?" Gareth suggested. "We'll explain it all to you."

Merlin and Gaius did so. Gareth and Elaine sat on the edge of the window and faced them.

"The last time you defeated her, it was when you had Arthur remove the sword from the stone, right?"

"You know about this?" Merlin interrupted. "How?"

"You told us", Gareth answered as if it were obvious.

Merlin frowned.

"You from the future", the boy added.

"Oh, right."

"So, about a year after all this, when everybody thought Morgana was dead-"Elaine carried on.

"It turned it out she wasn't. She didn't have anyone left in Camelot as an ally, so she placed a new one who spied on us for her for almost a year."

"Who?" Merlin asked.

To his surprise, a sad smile appeared on Gareth's face.

"Can't you guess?"

Merlin shook his head and shot Gaius a glance, but the physician looked just as puzzled as he was.

It was Elaine who told him, and when he heard the name, the name he had hoped he would never have to hear again, the name who inspired him such conflicted emotions, the name who meant so much darkness, a shiver ran through his body.

_Sixteen years later_

Morgana sat in her throne, legs crossed, casually resting on her elbow.

She looked again at the empty, dark room, and the usual rush of wild happiness and satisfaction enveloped her again. She had done it. She had dreamed of that moment so many times, and for so long, she could hardly believe she had achieved it. Camelot was now hers, and she had it down on its knee before her. Once again, she enjoyed the weight of her crown on top of her head. He wasn't the heavily jeweled, golden crown the likes of Uther and Arthur used to wear; that one she had had made especially for her. It was more like a tiara made of silver and black gems, which she considered much more fitting. Life was about to change. _Oh yes_, she thought with a wonderful feeling of wild joy. _Things will change under my reign._

The moment that thought filled her with pride and satisfaction, the gates of the room opened on a young man.

Technically, she was older than him, but time and the events had made it so that he was now roughly the same age as she. He walked towards her, his sword hanging to his side, his boots shiftily stroking the floor as he went. He was the only person she knew to have this kind of walk, and she was sure she'd know it anywhere.

Her ally had changed so much since the first time they met. Now he looked like a young lion, though not in the way people generally understood the comparison. He had this way of moving, like he was a predator who knew for sure his prey could not escape him. So sure of himself, so confident with his power, just as Morgana had been. Except he was much more gifted than her at hiding his emotions. Right now, his expression was that of satisfaction, and vanity beyond possible –but a self-controlled vanity. He never lost control over his happy feelings. His anger could certainly be just as destructive and out of control as storm or thunder –but not his joy.

He stopped a few paces in front of her, and briefly, very briefly, nodded.

"All the remaining knights are dead, Morgana."

_Morgana_. He always used that title. He never called her "Milady". He used to address her like that, but things, as they often did, had changed, in a way that Morgana didn't really like, but knew was necessary. So now it was just Morgana. She smiled to him.

"You have done well, Mordred."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The old memory flashed back.

The forest. The chaos. The sound of swords clashing. The screams. Him running behind a tree for cover. And then the boy being told to run, and running with his green cloak floating around him as he escaped. The urge he had felt to _not_ let him get away. The magic that had made its way out of him, more out of instinct than precise decision. He remembered it all too well; how the branch had hit the druid boy's legs; how he had tripped and fallen on the ground; how the knights had cornered him; how for a moment, he thought it was going to be over, that he was going to end the boy's destiny before it had begun…

…and how, without a word, the little, cornered boy had wiped out the soldiers and smiled.

And it wasn't finished. Merlin recalled what came next, how the noises of the battles had seemed to fade away, as if it were just the two of them staring at each other, and how the voice had echoed in his mind and soul as Mordred spoke the last words he would hear him say before, once again, running away and disappearing.

"No", Merlin muttered.

The twins seemed to understand his reaction.

"He came back to Camelot", Elaine explained. "Arthur remembered him –well, at least, when he told his name, Arthur recognized him. He said he remembered how Arthur had helped him as a child, and that now he wanted to thank him."

Gaius frowned until the point where his brows seemed to join and make one single line.

"He dared show himself in Camelot so openly?"

Gareth looked surprised.

"Well, yes. What did he have to fear? He's a Druid. And he didn't exactly show himself in the middle of Camelot. He rescued Arthur and a bunch of knights when they were attacked by bandits in the forest."

"I see", Gaius mumbled.

"He stayed around for a while", Elaine carried on. "Not everybody felt very at ease with a Druid, but he saved the lives of knights on countless occasion, until finally-"

"Arthur knighted him", Gareth completed.

"Mordred is a knight if Camelot?" Merlin repeated, barely able to believe it.

The twins nodded.

"How do you know so precisely what happened?" Gaius asked.

"He told us", Elaine answered, glancing towards Merlin.

"No I didn't", Merlin replied before he could stop himself.

"Not you", Gareth said. "I mean, yes, you, but you from the future."

"Why exactly did he tell you all this?" Gaius asked.

"We told you, we're very close friends of yours", Elaine answered.

"How come?"

The twins hesitated.

"Our parents are very close", Gareth said.

"I know your parents?" Merlin asked.

For some reason, Gareth and Elaine seemed to hold back a smile at the corner of their lips.

"You know them very well", the boy said.

Merlin was about to ask the obvious question, but before he could do so, Gaius said:"So what happened after Mordred became a knight?"

"Nothing for a while", Elaine said, "but after a few months he turned against Camelot."

"How so?"

"He stole the Cup of Life."

Merlin sighed –it was worse than he had imagined.

"He knew it was in the vaults. He stole it and spread rumors that the thieves had been seen near the border. Arthur sent his best knights to get it back, and while they were away, Morgana stroke. She had gathered an army with the help of King Alined. Mordred gave her the Cup and after making the army immortal, she walked on Camelot."

"How was she defeated?" Merlin asked.

"Exactly like she was the last time she tried using an immortal army –the Cup was emptied of its blood", Gareth replied. "But this time, she was killed too."

"How?" Merlin asked.

The twins placed an intense look on him. He felt as if he could guess the answer.

"You killed her", Elaine said.

It was almost too much to take all in once: the warlocks from the future, the news about Mordred coming back as a knight of Camelot and betraying them, and finally acknowledge that he was going to kill Morgana.

"I won't kill her", he said despite himself.

"You already did", Gareth pointed out.

"I never meant to kill her!" he cried. "I was just trying to protect Camelot, I had no other choice and I– I didn't want her dead!"

Gareth and Elaine frowned and glanced at each other.

"I didn't mean when you-er-poisoned her", Gareth said. "I meant that in our future, you –not you, you from the future- already killed her."

"I haven't killed her yet, here", Merlin protested.

"Well, no, in this time you haven't killed her yet, but in our future, the future we came from –it's already come to pass, because you from the future did it."

Merlin wasn't sure to follow the boy's train of thoughts.

"I know", Gareth said, "it's confusing."

"Yes", Elaine said impatiently, "but the point is that even if Morgana died, Mordred didn't. He escaped again and nobody heard of him for the next fifteen years."

"What was he doing?"

"Nobody knew at the time. Later, we found out that he was trying to bring Morgana back to life. We always knew he would come back, because he swore revenge on Camelot and especially you before he left, but he never came back until recently."

"Did he manage to bring Morgana back?" Merlin asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"How?"

For a very quick moment, something appeared in the twins' eyes, something so full of sorrow and painful Merlin thought they wouldn't answer but Elaine said:"He killed you. He traded your life for Morgana's at the gates of Avalon."

This left Merlin short for words. He wouldn't have thought that being told that Mordred would kill him to keep Morgana alive would have that effect on him.

"After you died-"Gareth hesitated "-things began to slowly get worse and worse. Mordred had actually spent the last fifteen years gathering and training a magical army. He united at least fifty sorcerers, and even some creatures like the Serkets and Wildoerens. He also had hundreds of human fighters, of course. And with Morgana to lead them…we didn't stand a chance."

"But that's not it", Elaine added. "He also spent years looking for something that would surely make him immortal, something that would stop him from dying even if he were to be slain by Arthur's sword."

"What did he find?" Gaius asked.

"He disguised one of his allies into a Druid and he sent him to ask Arthur for the Druids to be given the Cup of Life. We were already preparing for battle. The impostor convinced Arthur that the Druids should keep it, at least for the time of the battle, so that if Camelot fell to the hands of the enemy, they wouldn't be able to lay their hands on it. Arthur gave him the Cup."

"Putting his blood in the Cup wouldn't protect him from Excalibur", Merlin pointed.

"He knew it. He did better than just making himself immortal. He found an ancient ritual called the Link of Bloods. Basically, it's about two people pouring their blood in the Cup of Life at the same time, and with lots of complicated spells, making it so that you can't kill one of the two persons –you have to kill them both simultaneously. Otherwise they will stay alive whatever you do to them. In short, you can't kill one while the other is still alive."

"So Mordred mixed his blood with Morgana's?" Gaius asked.

The twins nodded.

Merlin tried to swallow everything he had learned. He knew that Mordred was powerful, and he knew he was not the innocent, harmless Druid boy he had rescued so many years ago, but he would never have thought that he could prove so dangerous. He had seen Mordred sending men in the other life without moving from the spot, but when he thought about him, he tried to deny what the Dragon had told him about Mordred's destiny to kill Arthur. He had thought that Mordred was just defending himself, and that it was only natural wanting to take over Uther after the King had had his people slaughtered, but he had hoped that Mordred would remember how Arthur had saved his life. Obviously, these hopes had been vain.

"Mordred finally attacked two days ago, then another time today", Elaine said. "We fought the best we could, but we just were no match for his army. Gareth and I managed to get away from the battlefield in time, and right after that, we-"she was about to say something when she stopped before quickly carrying on, "we met with Kilgharrah, and he sent us back here."

Merlin and Gaius remained silent for a few seconds, trying to take in the horrible news brought by the twins. Finally, Merlin said:"So Kilgharrah is still alive?"

"Yes", Gareth said, "but he was injured, and badly."

"How?"Merlin asked, knowing from personal experience that hurting a dragon was no easy business.

"That was part of his ten-year searches", Gareth answered. "He managed to cast enough spells on a lance so that it could slay a Dragon."

Merlin opened round eyes. "He did that?"

Gareth nodded. "Casting the appropriate spells on a weapon to make it so powerful requires an awful amount of time and energy. No wonder it took him fifteen years to make it."

"What about Aithusa?" Merlin asked.

Gareth gulped. Elaine closed her eyes.

Merlin scrutinized the twins, his heart pounding when he thought about what he was going to hear.

"She didn't want to kill Morgana", Elaine answered, her eyes still shut."Morgana and Mordred tried to take over her mind in order to bring her to their side. But she would never go down their path, so they tricked her. They started talking to her, telling her that maybe not everyone had to die, that a way could still be find…and while Morgana was talking to her, Mordred ran her through with the magic lance."

It felt like something squeezed Merlin's heart. "She's dead?"

Elaine finally opened her eyes."No, she's not, but she was wounded too badly to move. Mordred probably would have slain her without hesitation, but I think Morgana didn't want her dead, so they kept her locked under Camelot, just as Uther locked Kilgharrah at the time."

Merlin lowered his head and pinched his nose bone. Then he noticed something and lifted his head.

"Why didn't Morgana want to kill her?"

Gareth hesitated.

"We're not sure, but it seems that Aithusa saved Morgana's life."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you, we're not sure. Morgana just said she had no intention of killing Aithusa when she had saved her life. Kilgharrah said Aithusa must have healed Morgana after she was wounded when you took back Camelot- when was it?"

"A year ago", Merlin answered.

The twins nodded.

"Right", Merlin said. Then suddenly he remembered something Elaine had said the moment she had arrived. He stared at the two of them.

"When you arrived", he said, "you said you didn't know who was alive and who wasn't."

Gareth and Elaine didn't reply.

"Who is dead in your future? Apart from me?"

The twins didn't look at all like they wanted to answer, but Merlin wanted to know.

"Who?"he insisted, trying to catch their eyes.

Finally, Elaine looked back at him and said:"Everyone."

The same squeezing feeling gripped Merlin's heart. His voice was low when he said, "What do you mean?"

"Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table", Gareth said, his eyes on the floor.

Merlin wondered if this was a nightmare and he was going to wake up. What he was hearing couldn't be true –it just _couldn't_ be. The simple thought of a world were Arthur and Gwen were dead felt like a deadly rope pressed around his chest and throat.

"Right before we left", Gareth added.

"No", he said, without the firmest and most determined voice he could. "They're not. Not yet. They can still be saved –they _will_ be saved. We'll save them, no matter what."

His statement didn't seem to really comfort the twins, but at least it somehow cleared the shadow in their eyes, if not completely. It seemed to give them…hope. And Merlin knew for a fact that if hope wasn't everything in a situation like that, it was actually a good beginning.

"Where do we start?" Gareth asked.

"We should wait until Mordred turns up", Elaine pointed. "There's no need to track him down if he can just wait for him."

"Yes, but once he arrives, Arthur will consider him a friend, and killing him won't go unnoticed."

"You really plan to kill him?" Merlin asked, a bit surprised at how Gareth, who looked to him like the least fierce out of the two, spoke so casually of murdering Mordred.

The twins stared at him as though he had just asked the stupidest question in the world.

"Of course", Elaine said. "He killed you."

"And he almost killed Kilgharrah and Aithusa", Gareth added. "It's a miracle they're still alive."

"What would you have us do?" Elaine asked, raising an eyebrow.

Merlin shrugged.

"I don't know, we could…talk to him, try to bring him back to the path of good."

The twins exchanged glances that said _Are you sure we're talking about the same person?_

"We're not talking Mordred out of doing anything", Elaine said. "He's chosen his path, and he'll follow it. It's his destiny to kill Arthur, and he intends to stick to it just as much as you stick to yours."

Merlin didn't immediately answer. He couldn't explain them how difficult it was for him to be confronted with what the little boy he had saved and hidden so many years ago had become. But before he could explain himself, Gareth spoke again.

"Mordred killed our father."

Merlin lifted his head.

"What?"

"He killed our father", Gareth repeated.

It was obviously not easy to say it.

"Yes", Elaine joined in. "He killed him. So don't expect us to give Mordred any gifts. We're not leaving him wander around when he might kill our father again."

Merlin sighed. He couldn't ask the twins to let Mordred alive after this reveal, but he wished there was another way to be rid of Mordred's threat.

As if she had heard his thoughts, Elaine said:"There's no other way. Mordred must die. And the quickest, the better."

Merlin ran a hand through the back of his hair, then said:"So now what?"

"I think we should wait for him to come", Elaine suggested again.

"If we kill him and Arthur knows about it, he'll execute us", Gareth said. "It would be pretty stupid to have survived the battle back home and then end up beheaded wouldn't it?"

"Arthur doesn't need to know who killed him", Elaine insisted.

"In a couple of months, he'll be a knight, and when he is, we don't just walk out of killing him. We have to do it quietly."

"It will make things easier for us if he's within Camelot, instead of having to search the land for him. We wait until he's here, we sneak up in his room at night, we stab him and before Arthur realizes, we're off."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Gareth asked.

"What?"

"Morgana", Gareth said. "Mordred knows where she is, and she's just as dangerous, even without him. If we really want the job done properly, we'll have to find her."

"Don't you know where her hovel is?" Gaius asked Merlin, opening his mouth for the first time in moments.

"I do, but we can't be sure she's still there."

"It might be a good idea to go and look."

"Fine, but if she isn't there-"he turned to the twins.

"We'll ask Mordred before we kill him", Elaine said.

"I don't think he'll just tell us, Elaine", Gareth pointed.

"Hey, we're warlocks. We should be able to make him spit out the information."

"Why don't we just wait until he sneaks out of the castle to go to Morgana's place?" Gareth suggested.

"He and Morgana can talk using telepathy", his sister reminded him.

For a moment, nobody talked, before finally Gaius said:"Maybe you should warn Arthur, Merlin."

Merlin made a face."Yeah, sure, I'll just go and tell him that he's going to meet somebody he should not trust. And how do I know that? Because two warlocks from the future have told me."

"When Mordred turns up, you should at least tell him he's not all that he seems", Elaine said.

"Arthur doesn't know what Mordred is capable of. He'll never believe he's dangerous", Merlin countered. "All he'll see is the boy he's helped and who owes him his life."

Gareth smiled in disbelief. "But you're, well-you're _Merlin_. If anyone can convince Arthur that Mordred's evil, it's you. He'll listen to you, I mean, he always does."

Merlin's eyebrows rose. "You'd be surprised."

"Why don't you just tell him about what you've seen Mordred do?" Gareth said.

Merlin sighed. The twins seemed to take it for granted that Arthur would just listen to anything Merlin said, which, in a way, should comfort him, but his recent experience with trying to warn Arthur about a traitor hadn't exactly been that successful.

"Anyway", he said, "I have to be careful with Mordred. He could strike back if I were to turn him in."

Merlin knew that Gaius immediately understood what he was referring to, but Elaine asked:"What do you mean?"

"Mordred knows I'm Emrys", Merlin explained. "He knows about my magic. I can't take the risk of him telling Arthur."

For the first time since their arrival, the twins were the ones who looked astonished. Merlin frowned."What?"

"Arthur _doesn't_ know about your magic?" Elaine asked in total disbelief.

This left Merlin a bit taken aback. "Well, no, he doesn't."

Gareth and Elaine exchanged bewildered looks. Merlin just stared at them, and then his heart started pounding in his heart at the thought of what their reaction implied. "You mean–you mean he knows? In your future?"

Elaine didn't bother to answer. Gareth merely nodded.

This was one blow Merlin hadn't expected.

He blinked many times, trying to take in the information. Arthur knew. Sixteen years in the future, Arthur knew about him, about his magic. He could hardly believe it. Since he had started becoming a real friend to Arthur, his deepest wish had been that Arthur would one day see him for who he really was, but somehow he had never considered it likely to become true. The thought of Arthur knowing he had magic was like a dream he wanted so badly to come true, but at the same time feared a little and had rather it would remain a dream. For through the last years, he had become so dear to Arthur –and Arthur to him- he had sometimes caught himself thinking that their friendship was better that way, and feared what the revelation of his secret might do to it. Of course he wanted to live free of his secret, but he also didn't want to lose Arthur's friendship, and as their relationship grew more and more solid, he had come to wonder whether it would indeed survive any challenge or if such a revelation would shatter it into pieces.

But if what the twins said was true, then their friendship _would_ survive the revelation of his true nature.

"When?" he asked, his voice a little lower than usual.

He didn't need to be more precise. Gareth and Elain moved a little, unease.

"We don't really know", Gareth answered. "You don't talk much about it."

"We just know he didn't find out before eight years or so after you arrived in Camelot", Elaine said.

"You never even told us if he had found out before of after the Mordred business."

Merlin remained silent for another few seconds before asking:"Does this mean…if he knows about me…does this mean magic is allowed in Camelot?"

The twins exchanged surprised glances again."Well, yes, it is. Isn't it allowed yet in your time?"

Gaius shook his head. The twins raised their brows in perfect unison.

"That's not going to make things easy", Elaine said.

They remained silent for a few more seconds before Merlin said:"Look, anyway, there's nothing we can do right now. And no offence, but the two of you look like you're about to faint."

Gareth and Elaine suddenly realized they were completely exhausted and starving. They had been fighting restlessly for the last few hours, and now that the effects of adrenaline had wore off, they were beginning to feel the pain in their numb limbs, along with exhaustion.

"I could fall asleep right here, right now", Gareth admitted.

"Me too", Elaine agreed.

"We've got extra blankets", Merlin said. "I'll fetch you some."

"Thank you."

Gaius got on his feet and followed Merlin in his room. His face was grave.

"Be careful, Merlin", he said.

"Don't worry, I can deal with Mordred."

"I wasn't referring to Mordred", the old man said before casting a quick look towards the door and lowering his voice, "I'm referring to Gareth and Elaine."

Merlin came closer to the physician. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure they're telling us the whole truth", Gaius muttered.

"They looked honest to me."

"Except they didn't tell us anything about _who_ they are", Gaius pointed out, frowning. "And I think they might not want us to investigate the matter."

"Why?"

"Come on, Merlin", the physician snapped. "You saw it too. They look very familiar to you too, don't they?"

"Well, yes, but…that doesn't make them liars."

"No, but I'd be curious to find out who they remind me of…"

"Why don't we just ask them?"

"Didn't you notice how elusive they were about how they know you from the future? They said you know their parents, but they didn't bother to tell us _who_ their parents are."

"Do you really think they're hiding something?"

Gaius didn't bother to answer and merely said seriously, "Let us remain vigilent" before walking out of the room.

The night had fallen on Camelot during their conversation, and Merlin realized he was tired. After he handed the twins their blankets, he watched them taking off their armour. If Gareth seemed clearly used to manipulating the pieces of metal, Elaine wasn't at ease with them as much as she was with chainmail.

They didn't have any extra mattress, but the twins were obviously in such state of exhaustion they looked ready to sleep on the table if needed to. They just lied on the floor and fell asleep almost immediately.

Merlin went to bed with the beginning of a headache. Only now he was realizing the hugeness of the recent events that had occurred: Camelot had been taken by Morgana and Mordred, and the situation was so desperate and helpless that the survivants –two fifteen-years-old- had had no choice but to go back in time to prevent it from happening. The mere fact that the Dragon was of no other help was enough to frighten him.

All he hoped now was that it wasn't too late to fix the future; he thought beore slowly sliding into sleep.

Later in the night, as the room was dark except for the moon rays that cut their way through the shape of the window, Elaine rolled on her side and whispered, "Gareth? Are you awake?"

The boy turned to face her –he was awake too, as she had expected. He stared at her, waiting for her to say something. She shrugged. "I can't sleep. I'm so exhausted, I was sure I was going to fall asleep within a minute, but-"She hesitated. "I don't _want_ to sleep. It's just…if I fall asleep, then I'll escape the reality –the fact that everybody back home is dead or bound to be- and tomorrow when I wake up, I'll have to face all this again, and I don't want it to happen. At least, as long as I'm awake, exhausted, but awake, I know that the situation is real. Falling asleep will just briefly take off the pain, not for real, I'll just have the illusion that it's gone –before I wake up tomorrow and the pain become real again."

She sighed. Gareth simply stared at her in the dark. He didn't need to tell her anything. He knew she just needed to tell someone how she felt, and he knew that feeling too. Right now they were like two children who are afraid to go to bed because they're afraid they might find monsters in the dark –except it was the other way around. The monsters were already there, they were lurking all around them, and Gareth and Elaine could still see them despite their exhaustion. At least, tireness made the monsters a little less terrible. But if they fell asleep, they would merely have the illusion that the demons were gone –and when the twins would woke up, they would be back, even more painful than they were now.

"They're not dead", Gareth muttered without great conviction. "We can stop all these deaths from happening. Everyone who died –we can avoid that."

"I hope so", Elaine replied in a breathe.

"We can't abandon everybody back home", her brother said, his eyes fixed on a point in the dark. "We've got to save them."

Elaine gazed at him. "You're worried about Caelia, aren't you?"

He looked down. "I just hope she's OK."

"I know", the girl answered before putting her arms under her head and turning her head towards the ceiling. "Me too."

Gareth made a sound that could have been a laugh. "It's so awkward."

"What, you mean having Father back to life or being ten years younger than him?" her sister asked sarcastically.

Gareth smiled and shrugged. "Both, if you ask me."

"Yes well, it's the best we've got for now, so I guess we'll just have to make do with it."

"Guess so."

They didn't talk for a while, and then Elaine whispered in a barely audible voice:"Gareth?"

"Yes?"

A few seconds passed before she muttered:"Do you think we could learn more about Mother?"

Gareth didn't immediately reply, and for a moment she thought he hadn't heard her. She couldn't see his face in the dark, and she tried to imagine what it looked like, probably silently something like _How on earth am I supposed to know that?_ But before he said anything, she added "No, that's all right, forget about it. It's like Kilgharrah said, we need to focus on our mission."

Her brother didn't answer, and she didn't wait for him to. She just rolled on the other side closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Morgana held the torch to enlight the dark way that led to under the dungeons and walked down the stone steps. As she entetered the large, dimly lit den, she didn't need to call out for what she was looking for: there, in front of her, perched on the stone, was the white dragon.

When Morgana had first seen her, the creature was about the size of an eagle. Now it had to be five or six times bigger. Aithusa lifted her large head and gazed hatefuly at Morgana.

"What do you want?"

The witch didn't look away, as much people would have under the dragon's piercing eyes.

"Just making sure you're comfortable."

Aithusa snorted and her wings moved in annoyance.

"Why would the jailer want to make the prisoner comfortable?"

"You're wrong", Morgana said, and the corner of her lips curled into a smile. "I'm not your jailer."

"Oh? And what are you then if you're not my jailer?"

"The jailer waches the prisoner while he waits for his execution", Morgana explained. "I have no attention of executing you."

"What a comforting thought", the dragon snarled.

"It's the truth, believe it or not. If I had wanted you dead, you would be."

Aithusa'eyes briefly narrowed.

"Would I?"

"Oh, yes, you would be", Morgana said her expression smugger than ever. "I have a weapon fit to kill you, and you know it."

Aithusa's wings flapped in anger. "That lance you and your lying brat of an ally wield so proudly won't kill me", she roared. "Do not imagine the pitiful magic of two meaningless humans can do more than wound my flesh."

"Meaningless though we might be, it is our magic that keeps you here, Aithusa", Morgana retorted, her vanity crossed at being called meaningless.

"I thought you weren't my jailer", the white dragon smirked.

The smile on Morgana's face slightly faded.

"You know why I keep you here", she said. "I don't want to kill you."

"And why is that?"

"You know why."

Aithusa's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Morgana clearly didn't like to admit it when she added, "you saved my life."

The dragon snarled. "Is this _gratitude_, Morgana Pendragon?"

Morgana's smirk had completely faded by now. In fact, it was now Aithusa's turn to sport a satisfied smile.

"How enjoying it feels, knowing that the arrogant, powerful, ungrateful Morgana Pendragon is self-conscious about owing me."

"I know I owe you my life, that's the only reason I haven't killed you yet, when I had the opportunity", Morgana snapped, for she hated hearing what the dragon was telling her.

"You let the filthy traitor run his lance through me and locked me under Camelot", Aithusa replied in a terrible, accusing calm voice. "I don't take any gratitude from you."

Morgana no longer looked angry or arrogant. She stared deeply at the dragon.

'It doesn't have to be that way", she said. "Join us. Swear your allegiance to me, and I will let you of here. I mean it. I don't want to kill you."

"You don't make a dragon swear allegiance to anyone", Aithusa solemnly replied. "Your father understood that in his time. For this reason, he locked the last Dragon under Camelot, just as you do now."

She knew Morgana hated being compared to Uther Pendragon and was delighted to see the witch's face darkening.

"Think about my offer", Morgana said.

Aithusa laughed. Morgana rose her eyebrows in surprise."Do you truly believe you can fool me, Morgana? Do you think I don't see straight through you lies? You don't want me out of here. You're afraid what I might do if I get out, as you should", she snapped, her voice echoing in the stone wall. "You're afraid I will kill your knights and all those who serve you, if I make my way out of here. You'd rather if I remained here, locked and chained, while you're safe and unthreatened. Do not lie, Morgana. You know not of gratitude. You are far from thankful. In your mind, you have paid your debt to me by not killing me. You were never able to show any kind of gratitude towards the ones that were actually good to you. You think of no one but yourself."

Morgana's jaw was clenched in anger. "Who was it that I wasn't grateful enough to?" she muttered through gritted teeth. "Who actually was good to me?"

Aithusa looked delighted that Morgana would ask. "You betrayed and killed the man who raised you after your father died. You turned your back on your half-brother who would have lain down his life for you without hesitating. You tried countless times to kill she who was your friend for several years and was always loyal to you before you betrayed them all."

Morgana was breathing louder in anger. She cast the dragon a dark look. "How dare you lecture me? Do you really think you can understand me? You have no right to judge me and what I have done!" she screamed.

Aithusa roared again with cruel, humorless laughter. "And who did you stand up with instead? A sister who had done nothing for you except push you into betraying your friend. A boy who did nothing for you either, except lead you down the path of lies, deception and treason."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Morgana bellowed, and as her eyes flashed gold, chunks of rocks fell down the ceiling, and crashed the floor with deafening noises that echoed through the den. Her fists clenched. "You know _nothing_!"

"I don't need to", Aithusa spat. "Look at yourself, Morgana. You have imprisoned me; you have chained me here, just like your father did, even though I saved your life. It is sufficient for me to see through you."

There was a dark sparkle of madness in Morgana's eyes as she stared at the dragon, anger boiling in her veins.

"Good for you", she muttered, "because I'm the last person you shall ever see. You will _never_ be free. I'll make sure of that."

She turned around and walked furiously away from the white dragon.

As she climbed the stairs that led out of the dungeon, she was surprised to find Mordred waiting for her.

"You look upset, Morgana", he said.

"Our guest seems to find it entertaining to upset me."

"You should rejoice, Morgana. Look at how the mighty dragons have fallen by our hands. Thanks to our power, even a dragon is left with nothing but words to strike you."

"I wish we had her by our side", Morgana said. "She would be the most powerful ally we could hope for. She was almost joining us when you wounded her."

"I did what had to be done", Mordred snapped. "I have no regret. And neither should you, Morgana. Arthur and his son are dead; Camelot is ours."

Morgana smirked. He was right. She had nothing to fear anymore.

She was the Queen.

"At our feet, where it belongs", she added.

When Merlin woke up, it took him a few seconds to remember everything that had occurred the previous evening: the arrival of two warlock teenagers from the future to tell them that Mordred would come back, kill him and help Morgana take over Camelot.

It took him a valuable effort to get up from his bed, knowing that he had to hurry down to fetch Arthur's breakfast from the kitchen and bring it to him. As he walked in the living room, he noticed Gareth and Elaine, still asleep on the floor.

Without really knowing why, he kneeled on the floor next to them and watched them. They look more peaceful than they had ever done when awake. He just couldn't help staring at their faces, their closed eyes and their still limbs. But it was certainly their faces that most caught his attention. They definitely looked extremely familiar to him. He had a very strange feeling as he watched them, as if a similar situation had happened before. He remembered kneeling down beside somebody, and watching that person sleep, without trying to wake them…who? Who could they remind him of?

Elaine's eyelids suddenly shuddered, and she half opened her eyes. He heard her whisper something, but he couldn't understand what it was. All he saw was her blue eyes twinkled with an undetermined expression –joy? - before she blinked several times, and this expression vanished.

"Oh", she yawned, "Hi, Merlin."

"Did you sleep well?"

She shrugged and rolled over, her eyes falling shut again. He smiled, and then got on his feet and left the room.

After picking Arthur's plate in the kitchens, he walked in the King's room.

It had been almost ten years since Merlin had become Arthur's manservant, but one thing remained constant: Arthur was still desperately unable to keep his room tidy. Lonely clothes and boots lay on the floor like fallen men on a battlefield, the door of a wardrobe had been left open, and a cushion had slipped off the royal bed. Sighing, Merlin put the plate on the table and burst open the curtains. Rays of sunshine streamed down the room. Merlin heard the groaning meaning that Arthur was awake.

"Hello there", the manservant cheerfully said.

"Must you sound so _happy_?" Arthur mumbled.

"Well, new day ahead, I'm trying to be optimistic."

"Another day of councils, training, councils, training…" Arthur groaned.

"It looks like you're in a bad mood", Merlin teased him. "If you want, we can trade; I take training and councils and you get all my chores."

"That would be a little _too_ optimistic, Merlin", a voice came out of the pillow.

"Come on, get up", the manservant insisted, and he threw off the blankets and dragged pitilessly the King out of his bed.

Arthur finally reluctantly managed to get on his feet and headed towards the screen to get dressed.

"So what are we doing today?" Merlin asked while picking up the clothes spread across the floor.

"Well", Arthur's voice came from behind the screen, "first I've got to train with the knights, then I've got the council, then lunch, then probably a hunting trip after lunch, and after that, another training session."

"Another happy day ahead", Merlin grunted.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!" The manservant casually shouted. He didn't ask Arthur anything else, mainly because his thoughts were still on Gareth and Elaine. There was definitely something strange about them. He thought back about Elaine's reaction when she had awoken, the way she had looked somehow delighted for a very brief moment before realizing –what? That it was only him? What had she expected to see?

He was taken off his thoughts by a noisy snapping just next to his ear.

"Merlin? Did you hear what I just said?" A fully dressed Arthur asked.

"No-yes", Merlin replied.

Arthur grinned. "Just as I thought. I was saying that you were late on the laundry and there's a big, nice amount of my clothes that need washing."

And he turned around and threw a large pile of clothes that landed heavily into Merlin's arm.

"All that?" the manservant asked, astonished.

"Yep", the King replied. "And once you've done that, you can polish my boots because I haven't got any clean ones left for the training session this afternoon."

Merlin groaned. How was he supposed to go and take a look at Morgana's hovel if he had to spend the day cleaning and following Arthur on hunting trips?

By the time he got back to Gaius's place, Gareth and Elaine were both fully dressed. Gareth was wearing a blue shirt, brown pants and dark boots; Elaine sported a leather, sleeveless jacket closed on a dark shirt. Her pants were blue and she had dark boots like her brother. They were chewing pieces of bread and cheese placed in front of them by Gaius.

"Looks like the search for Morgana will have to wait", he said with a dark look.

"Why?"

"Well, apparently, having two warlocks from the future doesn't stop the present from going on", he groaned. "Which means that I still have chores to do for His Highness."

Gareth smiled. Merlin stared at him. He definitely knew that smile…but where? Where had he seen it?

"Good luck with them", he said.

"You're going to need it", Elaine added, laughing.

Merlin couldn't help a grateful face. "Thanks."

"What are you doing today?" Gaius asked.

"First I've got to wash Arthur's stinking clothes", he pointed to the pile of shirts, cloaks and socks in his arms, "then I'll be out for some training session, then after lunch, we'll be all going out for some happy animal killing."

"So even back here, you really don't like hunting, do you?" Elaine asked with a grin.

Merlin shrugged. "Well, apart from the fact that I can't see why killing innocent people is such a big deal, I'm sure it's a lot nicer when you're not the one having to carry the crossbows, and the game once it's dead, and who's being told off every two seconds because he's scaring away the animals."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Elaine offered. "To make the journey more bearable?"

Gaius's severe face popped out of a book. "You and Gareth can't go hunting with them", he said. "It's too dangerous."

"Why?" Gareth asked, surprised. "It's not like we can't look after ourselves. We're warlocks, remember?"

"Precisely", Gaius retorted gravely. "And magic is outlawed, do you remember? Beside, how did you plan to tell Arthur who you are? You can't go with him."

"Hey, we're not staying locked up in your rooms until there's some action!" Elaine protested.

"I'm afraid you'll have to", Merlin intervened. The twins looked at him with identical expressions; the one of a child who was punished unfairly.

"But why?" Gareth insisted.

"Don't look at me like that. I'd appreciate you coming with me, but Arthur can't know you're here. I doubt he'd be very welcoming to two warlocks who come from the future."

"All right, all right", Elaine grumbled, "we'll just remain cooped up in here like a couple of chickens."

"Are you sure you're the one that should be complaining?" Merlin grunted.

"We could at least try and find Morgana while you're away", Gareth suggested. "You said you know where she lives, didn't you?"

"Well, I know where she was living the last I've been to her place. She could have moved."

"There's only one way to find out, though, isn't there?" the boy pointed. "We could go there while you're out hunting with Arthur."

Gaius and Merlin exchanged quick glances. "It'll be easier if they're the ones that go and check", Merlin agreed. "At least they wouldn't have to pretend they spent a whole day at the tavern."

Gaius's eyes rolled up. "Yes, but is it safe to send the both of you on your own?" the old physician asked. "What if it turns out Morgana is still living there?"

"We can handle her", Elaine said looking confident. "We're powerful."

"Believe me, she is too", Merlin said. "The more we are to face her, the better it will be."

"All right, if you really want us to sit around here doing nothing…" Elaine furiously replied.

"You just have to wait for the opportune moment", Gaius insisted. "We must be careful before walking straight to where Morgana's living."

"But we have to find where she is", Gareth protested.

"I _know_, but the three of you will be going", the old man sentenced.

Gareth and Elaine sighed in annoyance with their usual perfect unison and looked down at their shoes.

Later in the day, though, as Merlin rode into the forest next to Arthur, he began to wish he had brought the twins along with him. He had known them for less than a day, but they intrigued him. They looked so familiar, and so strangely, for he just couldn't work out who they reminded him of. Besides, even if they were total strangers, he had found that he appreciated talking with them, without really knowing why, and he was eager to have other discussions with Gareth and Elaine.

Unfortunately, he being unable to take his mind off the mysterious twins caused Arthur to regularly ask if he was still around, and since he didn't listen to half of what the King was saying, he had just spent an hour being laughed at for being a loony. He didn't mind Arthur calling him an idiot –after all these years, he knew that his master didn't mean it and it was just part of their relationship, as much as Merlin calling him a prat-, but it was less funny when the other knights joined in.

He suddenly felt a pain in his ankle and found that Arthur had closed his horse to Merlin's and was kicking the manservant's legs with his spurs.

"What?" he said.

"See? What did I tell you?' Arthur cheerfully said to someone behind him, and Merlin turned around to find that all the knights had stopped a few feet behind and were roaring with laughter.

"Well", the King teased Merlin, "I was wrong. I thought you were dumber than a horse, but no, since you too can stop or go forward if you're kicked with spurs. "

"We thought about letting you go on your own, Merlin", Gwaine's laughing voice came from behind him, "but then I thought there wouldn't be anybody to cook us these delicious soups when we're in the forest. And we don't want you to get lost in the forest, do we?"

Arthur had a smug smile on his face, the same as when Merlin was used for a dummy during training session. "Come on", he said to his knights, who all caught up with him, still grinning from teasing Merlin. Elyan ruffled the manservant's hair while passing and Percival slightly kicked his elbow.

A few miles farther, Arthur suddenly rose his hands. The knights and Merlin all stopped dead.

For a moment they didn't know what it was that had made the King stop, but then they heard slight cracking noises, like someone walking on twigs, and the light ruffling of leaves being moved away.

Arthur got down from horse and took out his sword. All the knights mirrored him, and Merlin, who had no sword to pull out, just got off his horse.

For a second, the forest was perfectly silent.

Then, a stream of men flooded out of every possible direction. It seemed almost impossible that so many people had managed to hide behind trees. Shouting and brandishing swords, the bandits litterally threw themselves on the knights and attacked.

Merlin cursed under his breath. He should have guessed they would get themselves into trouble –that was _definitely_ what Arthur was best at. Running to take cover, he bumped in an attacker who looked to be twice his size and held up his sword as if to strike him down. Without even thinking, Merlin let the magic inside him flow out; his eyes flashed gold and the man's sword jumped out of his hand and flew into the air. Before the man realized what was going on, Merlin caught the sword and striked him down.

All around him, it was such chaos that nobody had even noticed his use of magic. He now had a weapon, but he wasn't very good with it and two others bandits were already rushing at him with great shouting and swords movements. He placed himself behind a tree, waited for the two of them to appear, and knocked them both down with the knob of the swords.

The knights and Arthur had brought down at least half of their attackers, but there were twenty or thirty of them, and even the Knights of the Round Table were outnumbered. Merlin ran to Arthur, but before he caught up with him, Arthur striked down a man that blocked his way and shouted:"RUN!"

The knights did as they were told and ran for their lives, closely followed by Merlin, who was further behind but very fast. A bunch of shouting men streamed after them like a human wave; Merlin didn't have the slightest idea as to where Arthur was taking them, he just hoped it was somewhere safe.

A tiny part of his mind also hoped they weren't heading for the Crystal Cave. But right now, as blood pondered in his ears and he ran faster than he even knew he could, it was the least of his worries.

Two swords clashed furiously right beside his ear; the bandits had caught up with them. Turning around, he saw a sword heading towards him in an incredible speed; he jumped down and sent three men flying backwards with his magic. He didn't have any other solutions: as he looked behind, he saw that each knight was now fighting by at least two against ones. No one would notice his magic, and without it they would never get out of here alive.

As he sent another group of men flying backwards, someone ran past through him, closely followed by three people who almost stamped over Merlin, and the young man saw that it was Arthur who was being chased. He ran after him, but the King was fast, and he had difficulty following him in the middle of the chaos.

Finally, he spotted Arthur fighting two of his attackers after having brought one down. But as they fought him, forcing him to walk backwards, he stumbled across a stone and fell on the ground.

Still running, Merlin was about to use magic to save the King, when suddenly, appearing out of nowhere, a sword slashed the first bandit and ran through the second, killing them both on the spot. As the two dead men collapsed lifelessly on the ground, he saw the man that had saved Arthur handing him his head and helping him on his feet. It was a young mand who wore chainmail and held a sword in his hand. He had raven hair and blue eyes.

The young mand turned his head and his eyes met Merlin's.

The moment they made eye contact, it felt the colors of the forest faded away, leaving nothing but the young man's clear, blue eyes, staring deeply into Merlin, and the noises of the battle echoed from very far away, as he heard only one voice echoing in his mind.

_Hello, Emrys._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Elaine was sitting on Merlin's bed, staring at the floor without seeing it. She felt so helpless, so useless, cooped up in Gaius's rooms without being able to do anything. She and her brother had not gone back in time just to wait for things to happen. She intended to save everybody that had died, and she didn't like the idea of having to wait before doing something effective.

Gareth opened the door and sat next to her.

"Gaius's out?" she asked casually.

"Yeah, he's gone to look after someone ill", Gareth answered. He hesitated before adding:"Are you all right?"

She shrugged. "I'm just waiting for something to do, like Father told us to", she answered without hiding her irritation.

Gareth made an expression as if to say _What can we do?_

"It really feels weird", she carried on. "When I woke up this morning, he was bent down over me and…my eyes weren't completely opened, and for a moment I thought…you know…I thought it was _him_. Father. I thought he was going to smile at me, like he used to."

She looked down at the floor. Gareth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know", he just muttered, which was his way to say _I miss him too_.

They didn't speak for a while, and then Elaine took a deep breath and said, "How are you coping up with this?"

"What, you mean with Father?"

"No, I mean with–with Caelia. You're all right?"

Gareth sighed. Clearly he had wished the subject was left alone. "I told you, I just hope she's all right, wherever she is."

"She wasn't in the citadel", Elaine said, trying to give a little hope to her brother, if not to cheer him up. "I'm sure she managed to run away. She's tougher than you'd think."

"I know", Gareth mumbled.

"She'll survive", Elaine insisted, determined to get a smile out of her brother. "She's brilliant and courageous."

"Yeah, she is", Gareth slightly nodded, and Elaine decided to take the little curling Gareth's lips did as a smile. She put an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, don't let your concern for your girlfriend get the better of you, all right?" she said with a little smile. "If you do, I won't have anybody to take me out of my dark thoughts."

"There's no risk for that", Gareth replied, really smiling this time. "You get dull when you've got dark thoughts."

"Hey!" she teased him and poked his shoulder. "I don't."

"Oh, you do", her brother laughed.

She laughed too. It felt greater than it ever had, for she hadn't really laughed for a while.

"Wish Father, I mean, Merlin would hurry", she said. "I know it's silly since he hasn't died in this time, and we're not even born yet, but I don't like being away from him."

"That's why you wanted to go with him on hunting?"

"Yes. I just miss Father so much. I don't care that this is his ten-years-younger self. I like talking to him."

"Me too. Come on, don't worry. If we do everything right, we'll see Father again."

They exchanged smiles, both deliberately ignoring the fact that Gareth had said _if_.

Merlin couldn't believe it. This had to be some trick of destiny –the twins had arrived from the future on the very day that his old foe returned.

Mordred had certainly changed. He was maybe sixteen or seventeen; his face was no longer that of a child, but that of a young man; his jaw and features had hardened; he was now a few inches shorter than Merlin, and and at least as large-shouldered as him; his voice had gone deeper.

Merlin had stopped dead on the spot. He was about to run towards them when a bandit appeared in front of him and charged at him with a roar. Merlin ducked and the man's sword hit the tree instead of his head; his eyes flashed gold, and the weapon remained stuck in the trunk.

But when he had leaned to avoid the sword, Merlin had tripped over one of the tree's roots, and he found himself lying on the ground. He thought the man was going to hit him but then Percival almost threw another bandit on his attacker. The two men's heads collided and they landed on the ground, one on top of the other, knocked uncouscious.

Before Merlin could thank Percival, the knight had already run out of his vision, and a mocking voice said above him: "Don't just lay there, Merlin! I thought you had improved with a sword!"

He looked up to see Arthur staring down at him. He quickly got on his feet and found himself staring directly at Mordred, who was standing behind Arthur.

He felt his whole body getting tense. The twins had told him that Mordred had come back to Camelot after rescuing Arthur from bandits in the forest. He had every reason to believe that troubles were starting; and he had no reason to hide his tension, for Mordred had sworn not to forgive his attempt to kill him.

Arthur noticed Merlin's look. "This is Mordred", he said. "I bet you don't remember him. We met seven or eight years ago."

"Yes", Merlin muttered, without taking his eyes off Mordred. "Yes, I remember."

Arthur didn't notice Merlin's tone; he was already rushing into the fight to help his knights and didn't see Mordred giving Merlin his usual sly smile before running after Arthur.

No, he really didn't like it.

Oddly enough, as soon as Mordred joined in the fight, their opponents seemed to grow less and less effective, until the last ones that still stood ran away for their lives.

Mordred had been more than a valuable help: Merlin had seen him rescue Percival and Elyan, both just as they were about to be striked down where they stood. By the time the battle was over, the knights had all noticed Mordred's presence and were gazing curiously at him.

Arthur gathered his panting knights around him and showed the boy.

"Meet Mordred", he said. "He is a friend."

The knights gave Mordred little smiles and nods. Leon was the only one who asked: "How do you know him?"

Arthur shot Merlin a quick glance before saying, "It's a long story."

For the first time, Mordred spoke.

"Arthur saved my life."

All heads turned towards him.

"That's all you need to know", he added. "I wouldn't be here without Arthur."

_I bet you would_, Merlin couldn't help but thinking. Mordred turned slightly his head to him, and for a moment, he thought the Druid boy had heard his thoughts, but he heard no telepathic voice. Right now Merlin was the only one who knew that if it wasn't for his own powers, Mordred wouldn't be here –Arthur had nothing to do with it.

"Mordred here has just saved my life", Arthur told the knights. "He can be trusted."

Merlin closed his eyes, held back a sigh and opened them again only to see Arthur turning to Mordred.

"You have saved my life, Mordred", he said. "Name your reward."

Merlin knew what was going to come next.

"It would be an honor to ride back with you to Camelot."

"And once we arrive?" Arthur asked.

"I only wish to go back to Camelot with you for now", Mordred said with the beginning of a smile. "I shall ask no further reward."

Arthur looked a bit surprised, but smiled. "To Camelot it is then. Have you got a horse?"

The young man shook his head. Arthur turned to his manservant. "You won't mind sharing your horse with Mordred, will you? You know each other after all…"

Merlin briefly nodded. If Arthur had paid him a little more attention, he would have noticed Merlin's dark look and his sobber answer, and would have deduced that something was wrong; but when Arthur had decided to be a prat, he put all his efforts into it, Merlin thought sadly.

Then Leon, who had been staring at Mordred, asked: "Have we met before?"

A spark of hope lit in Merlin's dark mood. Maybe if Leon remembered who Mordred was, there would be at least one knight that wouldn't completely trust him…but, Merlin realized bitterly, there were very little chances that Sir Leon made the link between the young man dressed like a knight and the little Druid boy that had escaped from Camelot almost ten years ago, and even if we did, Arthur had established that he could be trusted, and since Mordred had saved the King's life, the Knights had no reason to question Arthur's judgement.

Mordred smiled. Somehow this sent a chill through Merlin's spine.

"We may have", the boy answered, "but I do not think you would remember me."

Before Leon could question Mordred's elusive reply, Arthur said, "Come on, we should get back to Camelot before any other trouble gets in our way."

_It already has, _Merlin thought darkly as they headed back to where they had left their horses before running away.

Their horses hadn't moved from the spot, although they had not been tied to anything. It seemed, however, that Merlin was the only to take notice, just as he was the only one to see that the "bandits" had not stolen anything from them, not even the dead prey they had been carrying.

Mordred swiftly got on his horse behind Merlin, and the group started riding back to Camelot.

"Do the two of you know each other?" Gwaine asked the two boys.

Merlin couldn't see Mordred's face, but he heard his clear voice saying: "We have met before, in circumstances that I could never forget."

If anything, this convinced Merlin that Mordred had no friendly intention; he was clearly referring to their last encounter, and the promise the druid boy had made him not to forgive or forget.

"Why do you want to go to Camelot?" Elyan asked.

Mordred made a little noise that souned like a laugh. "This place holds a special meaning for me", he said. "I would like to see it again."

"Why?" Gwaine asked.

Arthur turned around to cast Mordred a look, but that didn't stop the boy from saying: "Because this is the place where I was nearly put to death."

Of course, this left the knights astonished. They all turned around to Mordred, waiting for an explanation.

"Mordred", Arthur said, "now is not the time for this story."

"He's right", Mordred replied, and Merlin guessed he was smiling. "You shall hear it another day."

They didn't say anything else until they reached the outings of the forest, and Camelot appeared in front of them.

_Sixteen years later_

Gwen sat in her dark cell, alone.

She had given up trying the control the tears that streamed on her cheeks, or to wipe them away from her swollen eyes. She had been sitting there for an entire day by now.

She thought again of the recent events. Five days earlier, Mordred and Morgana had led their attack on Camelot, and all the survivants had had to run away from the castle. They had regrouped and planned an attack in order to take Camelot back. Unfortunately, the attack had no gone well at all. They were suppose to divise into two squads, the first one attacking from the lower town to drive the knights out of Camelot, and the second supposed to sneak up inside the castle to take the troops from the rear and have them attacked on both sides; unfortunately, the squad had been intercepted and driven back to the gates of the citadel. They hadn't been able to survive the battle. Her husband, her brother, and his son, had all perished.

Her son. Her eyes filled with blinding, hot, painful tears. Her son. Erec. She thought of him again, of how brave, and handsome, and brilliant, and skilled her boy had been. She, Guinevere, who had started her life as a lowly serving girl, could barely have hoped to give birth to such a miracle; but it had been, he had existed, she had held him in her arms, and stroked his hair, and kissed his face, and seen his smile-

Her memories were interrupted by noises outside her cell, and Morgana appeared behind the bars.

When she had first found out that Morgana was no longer their friends, oh so many years ago, all Gwen had been able to feel was a deep sadness; she had loved Morgana, that woman had been the most amazing friend she had ever had, a wonderful, determined friend who stopped at nothing for the ones she loved. Her greatest wish was for the old Morgana to come back, to be her friend again, to laugh with her as they once did. Even after her countless attempts to take over Camelot, she had just felt so sad for the loss of her dear friend. But now, as she stared at the witch, she saw no more of the woman who had once been her friend. She only saw the woman that had killer her husband and her son.

And she could never forgive her for that.

She got on her feet and quickly wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice shaking with grief and anger.

Morgana smiled, and Gwen wanted rip that smile off her face, to tear it into pieces.

"I was just coming to see how you settled in, _Milady_", she sniggered.

Gwen knew that she used that title to humiliate her, but she was determined not to show the slightest weakness to this woman.

"Why don't you kill me?" She asked. "It's what you've wanted from the start. You've killed so many people, why not me?"

"Oh, Gwen, how wrong you are", Morgana said, shaking her head, the smirk larger than ever. "I never wanted you dead. All I wanted was to stop you from taking my place as a Queen of Camelot, and yes, I may have tried to kill you for that. But now, why should I kill you? I have taken back what is rightfully mine. Nothing stands in my way now –you certainly don't. So, why kill you? If my memory is good, you are a very good servant, among the very best. One always needs good servants. But you may have stopped acting like one after being crowned queen; I think it's time for you to remember who you are, and where your place is." She took a few steps backs from the bars, and then said "You are but a serving girl and you shall be again, in a few hours; in the meanwhile, I suggest you take advantage of the free time you've got left."

With these words, she walked out of the dungeon, leaving Gwen to collapse on the cell's floor.

All she could hope now was that her daughter, her beloved daughter was safe.

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, this is my first fanfic ever and your comments just warm my heart! Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think of it, good or bad! By the way, if anyone's interested, the "actors" for Gareth and Elaine are Skandar Keynes from Narnia (Edmund) and Liv Tyler from Lord of the Rings (Arwen). Thanks again for your support, I hope you will not be disappointed!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I _told _you we should have come with you! Why didn't you let us? We _told_ you you should have taken us-"

"Oh, give it a break, will you", Gareth cut her sister.

She spinned towards her brother, looking as if she was about to spit fire at him. "How can you say that? If he had just let us come with him from the start-"

"Yeah, I know, but stop shouting, will you?" he replied, before adressing Merlin: "But she's right, why didn't you let us come? I assure you, nothing would have given us greatest pleasure that to meet Mordred!"

"It wasn't safe." Merlin was sitting on the wooden bench, elbows on his knees, chin on his crossed fingers. "And you couldn't have just walked in and killed Mordred right after he saved Arthur's life."

"Why not?" Elaine cried furiously.

"We've been through this", Merlin sighed, trying to hide his annoyance. "You need Mordred to find Morgana."

Elaine still looked angry, but she didn't argue. "So where is he now?"

"Arthur has assigned him one of the guests chamber in the northern tower."

"Did he say anything to you?" Gareth asked.

"He just said 'Hello, Emrys' when he saw me. Nothing after that."

"Do you think he might tell Arthur about you?"

"No, I don't think so. As long as he keeps quiet, I have to do the same, I guess", Merlin answered darkly.

The twins sighed. "So what do we do next?"

"We have to go and check if Morgana's still living in her hovel", Gareth said. "And if she doesn't, well, we'll have to follow Mordred and hope that he'll take us to her."

"If he talks to her in his mind, he won't have to go anywhere to see her", Elaine pointed out. Then she turned to Merlin. "But you can hear it when he talks in his mind, can't you?"

"Yes, but you know what he's going to do, don't you?"

"Well, not really. I mean, we weren't born at the time, so we don't know everything. We can't anticipate every single movement of the enemy."

Merlin ran a hand through his hair. "So, how do you feel about going to Morgana's?" he asked.

A huge grin spread across the twins' face. They replied at the same time: "I'm on it."

Queen Guinevere of Camelot was sitting in front of the window, looking down at the sun that was beginning to set on the lower town. A sweet, golden light streamed across the houses and the market. She loved that sight.

The door opened behind her and Arthur walked in. She turned around. It was good to see him. They were married, but they practically had had no moment of privacy for two days. She didn't join him for hunting trips and training, and councils could hardly be called moments of privacy.

"Guinevere", he said, and the usual gentle sparkle lit in blue eyes when he saw her.

They hurried to each other and he pulled her in a close embrace. "Arthur", she whispered.

She felt his lips on her fronthead. "Why didn't you come down to greet us and Mordred earlier?"

She shrugged, uneased. "I told you, I didn't feel very well."

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I'm not really sure." She placed a hand on his cheek and smiled. "I'm all right, don't worry."

Arthur tilted his head and kissed her. She closed her arms around his neck. She was with him, and when she was, everything was fine.

Except that she wasn't telling him everything.

They interrupted their kiss to smile at each other. Arthur was tired, she could tell. He made to kiss her again when suddenly she felt something heavy going up from her stomach.

"Excuse me", she said and broke off their embrace to run towards a bassin in the corner of the room. There she knelt down and started to vomit in it.

"Guinevere!" Arthur hurried to her side and stroked her face.

"I'm fine", she mumbled.

"I'll call Gaius", her husband said, and he got on his feet.

"No, wait", she managed to say.

He helped her on her feet, and then dragged her to the bed. She sat on it and he fetched her a cup of water. After handing it to her, he sat next to his wife on the bed. "Why don't you want me to get Gaius?"

Guinevere felt better now. "Because I know what this is. I think."

He looked at her, looking half amused, half surprised. "You do?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Arthur-"she hesitated. This seemed to alarm the King.

"What? What is it?"

Her brown eyes met his and a large smile spread across her face. "I'm pregnant."

For a moment, Arthur stared at her, completely taken aback. He looked short for words. Then, suddenly, a laugh escaped his lips and he beamed at her. "That's wonderful!"

Relieved, she nodded. Arthur laughed again. Right now, he looked as if nothing could ever make him unhappy again. "How long have you known?"

"It's been three months", she answered, and she couldn't help but laugh too. "But I didn't want to tell you until I was completely sure about it."

"That's wonderful", he repeated, as if he couldn't believe his own happiness.

Delighted, he took her in his arms and held her, and she held him back.

Right now, it was just the two of them, cut out from the rest of the world by the happiest moment of their life.

Night had finally fallen on Camelot. Merlin had preferred going to their expedition by night, because he didn't want Arthur to believe he was once more at the tavern and end up with extra chores for that.

Merlin, Gareth and Elaine had all gathered in Gaius's rooms. Merlin was about to take an aging potion.

"What do you need it for?" Elaine asked.

"If Morgana turns out to be there, I'd rather she didn't know it's me", he explained. "And I think she fears me when I'm in this disguise."

He was about to drink the potion when the door burst open.

Merlin, Gareth, Elaine and Gaius all jumped. Merlin immediately thrust the little bottle of potion in his back.

Arthur rushed inside the room. He didn't even seem to notice that Gareth and Elaine were here and ran towards Merlin and Gaius.

"Gwen is pregnant!" he screamed, and Merlin couldn't remember seeing him so happy. "She's going to have a baby!"

For a second, Merlin and Gaius registered the information, than burst out in screams of joy too.

"That's great!" Merlin exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

Arthur started to laugh. "Yes…yes", he kept saying. "She-_We're_ going to have a baby."

Merlin gave him a pat on the shoulder. Arthur grinned at him. For the first time, Merlin could really understand the meaning of "drunk with happiness."

"Congratulations, Arthur", Gaius said.

"Thank you, Gaius. I'll make a public announcement tomorrow", Arthur beamed. "Until then, it would be best if you –who are you?"

He had just noticed Gareth and Elaine. The twins were taken aback.

"We're–err–we're-"

"Friends", Merlin intervened. "From, err, Ealdor."

Arthur scrutinized the twins. "You seem familiar. Have I met you before?"

Clearly Gareth and Elaine had hoped this wouldn't happen. For a few seconds, the twins and Arthur stared at each other. Finally, Gareht said: "No, I don't think so, I never forget a face."

Elaine also shook her head as if to support her brother's statement. Unfortunately, Arthur looked suspiscious. "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to meet our family in a few days", Gareth said, thinking very quickly, "but in the meanwhile we-er- we'll stay with Gaius and Merlin."

"Yes, right", Elaine added.

Arthur obviously wasn't totally convinced, but was so happy that nothing could trouble his mood. "Anyway", he said, turning back to Gaius and Merlin, "we'll make an announcement tomorrow, but until then, don't tell anyone. All right?"

"Of course", Gaius agreed, smiling.

The King grinned once more at them and quickly walked out of the room.

Merlin, Gareth and Elaine waited for a few seconds before sighing in relief in perfect unison.

"God, I didn't think he'd come barging in this way", Elaine said. "Well, are we ready to go?"

Merlin, still smiling, suddenly came back on earth and drank the potion. There was an explosion and a second later, an eighty-years-old Merlin appeared out of a cloud of smoke.

"Wow", Gareth said, gazing admiringly at the old man. "Even in our future we didn't see you _that_ old."

Dragoon snorted, and then the three of them were on their way, after Gaius bid them good luck.

"Are you sure it's that way?" Elaine asked three hours later, as they rode in the dark forest.

"Yes, I am", old Merlin snapped.

"I hope so, because if we get lost in the dark-"

"Oh, shut up", Gareth admonished her.

Elaine rolled eyes but kept quiet.

They had been riding for so long now that the sky was completely dark, and the trees were too thick to let in the moonlight. In fact, Gareth and Elaine had summoned a blue ball of light that floated in thin air above them, enlighting the way.

Merlin remembered the way to Morgana's old hovel, but it was more difficult to do it in the dark. For the first hours of their journey, the twins hadn't complained in the slightest, but now, they were beginning to show small signs of annoyance, even Gareth, who kept telling his sister to be quiet whenever she started grumbling.

After another two hours of riding, Elaine finally spotted it. "There it is! That's it, isn't it? That small house, over there?"

Merlin scrutinized the dark woods before saying triumphantly:"Yes! That's it. Get down from horse, we'll tie them."

The twins did as they were told. Slowly, the three of them walked towards the door of the hovels. They didn't have much to fear; after all, if she was there, Morgana was probably sleeping.

But the moment they stepped out of the woods, the door opened on a pale-faced woman, dressed with a dark, long dress and a belt around her waist, and black, untidy hair.

They all stopped dead at the sight of Morgana.

The witch took a few steps forward and looked around her. Then she pulled out a knife. "Who's there?" she said.

"Don't move", Merlin muttered before stepping into the moonlight.

Morgana turned around and saw hiw. Her grip on the knife tightened. "You!" she hissed in a mix of anger and fear.

"Yes, Morgana", he said with the broken, sly voice of Dragoon, "me."

Morgana swallowed. She did the best to hide her fear, but it was palpable.

"Have you finally come to kill me?"

There were shuffled noises behind Merlin, and a voice whispered, "Elaine!" and then the young girl stepped out of the trees.

"Yes", she said, gazing hatefuly at Morgana, "we have." She held out a hand and shouted, "_Forb fleoge!_"

Her eyes flashed gold and Morgana was thrown backwards and landed in the dead leaves.

Elaine smiled and was about to rush forward, but Merlin held out and arm and shouted, "Wait!"

They heard something whistle through the air; Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and as time slowed down, Elaine saw the knife heading to her. Without needing a spell, she let the magic flow out of her, and the knife stopped dead in mid-air, then fell on the ground.

Unfortunately, that was all the diversion Morgana needed.

Gareth stepped out of the tree, ran to the witch and shouted:"Don't let her go!" but it was too late.

In a whirlwind of dark clouds, Morgana had disappeared.

_Sixteen years later_

The full moon could be seen through the high tree branches. The night had fallen long ago, but still, she couldn't sleep. The forest was full of noises that didn't scare her; a wolf howled, somewhere, and a gust of wind ruffled the leaves around her. And she just couldn't fall asleep.

Caelia brought her knees against her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

She couldn't remember feeling so miserable; Camelot had been taken by Morgana and Mordred, and the both of them were really invincible this time. Her father had been killed, just like the King and all the other knights; and as if that wasn't enough, Gareth had gone missing.

Gareth. She couldn't hold back tears as she thought of the boy she loved. If only he could be at her side by now, she somehow would still have the will to fight. But now…now that even Gareth –and his sister Elaine- had disappeared, what was the point of fighting? She could do anything with him, anything. But she felt so lost without him. She didn't even consider keeping fighting without her parents, her friends, and the boy she loved. For the first time in her short life, she was alone.

A twig cracked behind her.

Caelia jumped on her feet and wiped away a tear that had formed in her eye. "Who's there?"

For a very frightening moment, there was nothing. Then she saw a small figure appearing from behind a tree.

The figure took a few hesitant steps towards her, and then walked into a ray of moonlight which showed a small, thirteen-year-old girl, who looked terrified.

Caelia's eyes widened and she felt a rush of joy. "Anna!" She rushed and hugged the girl, who hugged her back.

"But how?" she whispered, unable to hold back a smile. "You were dead! I saw you!"

"I wasn't", Anna replied with a large smirk. "Just pretented to be. I'm not very tall, so the minute no one looked, I just got on my feet and left. Clever, isn't it?"

Caelia hugged her friend again. "How did you find me?"

Anna shrugged. "I guess I just followed the same path as you. I wasn't looking for you. I thought you were dead too."

Caelia shook her head. "I managed to steal a horse and run away before they closed the gates, but I was attacked and I had toleave the horse. Did you walk all the way from Camelot?"

Anna nodded. Caelia raised her brows in admiration. "Sit down", she said, an arm around Anna's shoulders. "You must be tired."

"Not really", the girl replied. "I slept last night, and I don't want to sleep because the last time I did, I had dreams about…about my brother and my father and…and my uncle and…"

She couldn't finish and started sobbing. Caelia closed her arms around her and slightly rocked her, but she couldn't help tears rolling down her cheeks too.

"Shh", she muttered. "I know. I miss them too."

Anna's voice was slightly hiccoughed when she asked:"What about your sister and your brother?"

Caelia closed her eyes and rested her head against the trunk of the tree behind her. "I haven't heard from them."

Anna's body was shaking all over. Caelia hesitated before asking: "And how about your-your mother? How about Guinevere?"

Anna cried even harder. "She was still in the citadel. I don't even know if she's alive-"

"Shh", Caelia whispered, but Anna sobbed, "Why did these things have to happen to _us_? I want my parents back–and Erec–I want my brother! He was just sixteen–he could have-"

"Don't", Caelia muttered, because she knew if Anna carried on, she herself would never able to carry on. "Don't think about what could have happened. Think about what is. We're still there, you and me. We can still get away from all this. There's only what is, do you understand? _Only what is_. Right now, Mordred and Morgana have won, and we're the only ones that have survived."

"Maybe not", Anna managed to say in a voice choked with emotion. "M-maybe…maybe my mother is still alive."

Caelia took a deep breath. "That doesn't change the fact that we're the only ones left."

Anna let out a little cry. "Do you want to abandon my mother? You can't do this! How can you be so insensitive? Not to mention that she is your Queen!"

Caelia grabbed Anna's shoulders and spinned her around to face her. "I'm _not_ insensitive! But we've got to keep our heads straight if we want to stay alive. Do you understand? We let our emotions cloud our better judgement, and we're dead." She released the girl's arms and stared at her. "Very well. You're the princess here. You decide what our next move should be."

She didn't mean to be so bossy, but she was two years older than Caelia and she knew if she didn't keep her self-control, the situation would be definitely lost.

Anna took several deep breathes to stop her sobbings, then said:"If Mother is still alive, we have to sneak into the castle to take her out."

"The knights are immortal", Caelia reminded her.

"I know. Do you think we should give up?"

Caelia thought about it. "We've got maybe one chance in a million to manage sneaking up in the castle unnoticed, let alone smuggle your mother out without being killed." She smiled. "I guess that's the kind of challenge I like."

Anna smiled too.

If they didn't have a clue about how to do as they planned and stay alive, but at least they had something to do. And that gave them hope.

"Caelia?"

"Yes?"

Anna hesitated."I'm really, really sorry about your father. Sir Gwaine was-"

"I know." Caelia looked at the sky. "But if there's one thing that I've learned from my father, it's that even if the chances stand between slim and none, there's always a challenge worth it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N: Ok, so I've noticed I made a mistake in last chapter: Caelia is two years older than Anna (I wrote "she was two years older than Caelia). So, you've finally met Gareth's girlfriend, which is none other than our dear Gwaine's daughter! And of course, Arthur and Gwen's daughter Anna is here too…my God, how will they free their Queen? ;) Anyway, on with the story, where you will find a piece of information I'm sure you've been eager to know! I won't say anymore here. Thanks again for your support. Enjoy!**

It was nearly dawn when exhausted Merlin, Gareth and Elaine walked back in Gaius's rooms. Merlin had regained his true, young self before entering the castle, and the three of them had spent half the night riding. They tried not to wake Gaius, in his exhaustion, Merlin knocked a broom over and Gaius nearly jumped out of his bed to find the three warlocks staring at him.

Several hours after their encounter with Morgana, Gareth and Elaine were still arguing.

"Why wouldn't you let me go out from the trees? I wasn't going to let her ho!"

"Well, that's too bad, because it's kind of what you did, isn't it? If you just had waited before casting such a powerful spell, she wouldn't have time to run away!"

"And what was I supposed to do? I thought we were supposed to back up Merlin while he fought against Morgana!"

"Back him up, not just step out recklessly and start blasting spells! Didn't you think that maybe Merlin would need our help later?"

"Later? And how long is that, later? She killed nearly everyone back home! How long will we have to wait before doing what we came here for? First we're not allowed to kill Mordred, now we can't kill Morgana-"

"If you'd just let me handle this, I could have paralyzed her", Merlin interrupted them. He didn't mean to sound annoyed, but he was tired and furious at how Morgana had once again escaped them.

He expected Elaine to start shouting at him too, but she just sighed angrily and dropped herself on the bench. "So that's it, then?" she said. "Now we have to wait for Mordred to contact her and take us to her."

"Yeah, I guess", Merlin replied darkly. "She has no reason to go back to her hovel. I've been there twice; she won't want to remain there."

"She must have realized she couldn't handle the three of us", Elaine said. "That's why she ran away."

"And now she knows about you two", Gaius observed.

"Do you think she'll tell Mordred about us?" Gareth asked.

"She will probably warn him about two warlocks standing up with Emrys", Gaius said. "Which means from now on, you're not going anywhere out of here."

The twins exclaimed in protest, but Gaius cut them: "If she warns Mordred about the both of you, he can't know you're in Camelot, or surely he'll try to stop you."

Gareth and Elaine glanced helplessly at each other.

"Very well", Elaine mumbled, "so can we at least take advantage of our last free moments to go somewhere?"

"What do you mean?" Merlin frowned.

"I'd like to go somewhere", Elaine explained, and pointing at the dark sky, she added, "and I might as well do it now, when everybody's asleep.

Merlin and Gaius exchanged concerned glances. Gareth saw fit to intervene:"Come on, it's not like we can't defend ourselves. We're still warlocks, after all."

"We won't be long", Elaine said. "It's not far away from here."

"Where is it exactly?" Gaius asked.

The twins sighed, then Elaine replied, her eyes set on the floor: "Our parents' grave."

This left Merlin short for words. He could hardly refuse the twins to go on their parents' grave. He assumed they probably needed some comfort as they were tracking down their father's killer. He sighed. "All right, go then. But be as quick as you can."

"Try to come back before the sunrise", Gaius advised them.

The twins nodded, and then turned around and left the room.

Merlin sat next to Gaius. "Are you sure it's safe to let them wander around?"the old man asked.

Merlin shrugged. "They can look after themselves…I guess."

"Let us hope so", Gaius muttered, staring at the door Gareth and Elaine had just closed behind them.

Gareth had immediately guessed what destination his sister had in mind when she had asked to go out. The place held a special meaning for him too. They had gone there once in a year for as long as he could remember, to pay tribute to their mother. These visits to their mother's resting place were never easy for Merlin; their father would sit down by the shore and remain there for hours, without saying a word. He would sometimes stroke the surface of the lake with his fingertips, before eventually getting on his feet, casting the lake one last look before walking away, and he happened to wipe away a tear while doing so.

Now it was the twins' turn to sit down silently by the lake, and to look down at the water, as if their father and mother could rise up from it and come back from the dead –but they wouldn't. The place where their mother had died held some kind of mystic aura, for they had never met their mother and only knew what had happened to her; but it pained them terribly to look at the lake knowing that if they could somehow reach within its depths, they would find their dead father.

Gareth couldn't help but feel the pain of irony as his sister bent down to reach for the water with the tip of her fingers.

"We can't do it", she whispered. "We can't do it, Father. We still don't manage to avenge you."

Gareth didn't dare place a hand on her shoulder. "Do you know what's most awkward?" he said instead.

She didn't immediately reply. He caught the glimpse of a tear splashing in the water before she turned to him, wiping her eyes. "What?"

He showed a point nearby. "I still expect to see the rose petals like Father had placed them, with the golden letters on it that read _There lies Freya, a Druid and the only one I ever loved. The lakes and the mountains mourn you always._"

Elaine didn't respond.

"Do you why?" Gareth asked, and something new, something fierce, appeared in his eyes. "Because _this hasn't happened yet_. This means we've still got a chance to bring Father back to life, and to be rid of Mordred and Morgana once and for all."

His sister took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, you're right. We can do it. We will."

Gareth smiled at her, even though the smile didn't really reach his eyes. "See? I told you how dull you could be."

Elaine poked her brother's arm, but she was now smiling too. "You call me dull again and you'll regret it."

Gareth was about to reply when they heard a noise in the forest. They both jumped silently on their feet and listened.

The sun hadn't risen yet, and the woods around them were dark. They couldn't see and only heard what sounded like-

"Hooves", Gareth muttered. "That's a horse."

Careful not to make any noise that would give their presence away, the twins walked back into the forest.

It took them a few seconds to spot the figure of a man sitting on a horse. The horse wasn't moving fast and the two warlocks were able to follow it without being seen. There wasn't enough light to see who was the rider, however. They only caught the glimpse of a sword hanging by his side.

Gareth and Elaine had to progress while passing from behind a tree to another one. Finally, the horse stopped and the figure got down from it and took a few steps to what the twins realized was another person.

Barely daring to breath, Gareth and Elaine took a few steps closer and remained behind the largest trunk they could see. Then they heard the voice of a young man.

"What is the matter, Morgana?"

The sun chose this precise moment to rise from the mountains that surrounded the lake and cast gleaming rays of sunlight that enlightened the forest, allowing Gareth and Elaine to see the back of a man talking to a woman with dark robes and black, untidy hair.

If the twins still had a doubt about Morgana's identity, the voice that came next left no room for doubt.

"It's Emrys", she said, and her voice was shaking with fear and panic. "He came to my house. He's coming for me, Mordred."

"Did he attack you?" Mordred's cold voice asked.

"Not him, but–he wasn't alone, they attacked me-"

"Wait. What do you mean, he wasn't alone?"

"He was with two other persons, a boy and a girl–the girl attacked me–she had magic too, Mordred-"

"Calm down, Morgana", the controlled, calm voice came again. "We need to think. Who were this boy and this girl?"

"I don't know, it happened very quickly…both looked like teenagers, maybe fifteen or sixteen…they both had dark hair, except she had blue eyes."

Mordred let a few seconds before replying. "Whoever they are, they shouldn't be too hard to find. Now that I know where Emrys is, they should be around him…"

Morgana jumped. "You know where Emrys is? Why didn't you tell me? Tell me quick."

When Mordred spoke again, he sounded confused. "What do you mean? Of course I know where he is. And so do you."

"No, I don't! Tell me!"

The twins heard a sigh. "He's at Camelot, of course. At Arthur's side. Still pretending he's only a servant."

"A _servant_? What are you talking about?"

Gareth and Elaine could only see Mordred's back, but they guessed he was probably gazing at Morgana in amazement.

"Is it possible that you do not know about it? That you do not know who you're after?"

"I'm after Emrys!"

Gareth and Elaine could almost hear the other's heart pounding in the other's chest. Any moment now, Mordred was going to speak the one secret that Merlin had clearly done everything to protect.

"So you do not know. It is time you learn who your enemy is…Morgana, Merlin is Emrys."

Even in the dim light of dawn, the twins could see the astonishment on Morgana's face.

"_Merlin_? That filthy–he can't be-"

"I take it he used a disguise to fool you", Mordred said. "I, however, have always seen him for who he really is, from the moment we first met."

Morgana's mouth remained slightly opened. She didn't look like she would ever be able to speak him.

"That foul, loathsome liar–all along he could–filthy traitor-"

"Gareth", Elaine suddenly muttered, trying not to move her lips as much as she could, "if we have to stop them, it's now or never. On count of three…One–two–three-"

They both stepped out from behind the tree at the same time, held their hand and, both aiming at Mordred, shouted:"_Hleap on beac!_"

Morgana screamed as under the combined forces of two spells, Mordred was blasted forwards, hit a tree and rebounded on the ground where he laid, unconscious.

Unfortunately, he had not yet touched the ground when Morgana held out her hand and without a word, made Elaine being thrown backwards. Before she had time to curse him too, Gareth lunged and managed to catch back his sister and stop her from landing heavily on the floor.

Elaine felt a little knocked out when she found herself in the arms of her brother. He stared at her, his eyes full of concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Great, because we're gonna have to–RUN!"

As quick as they could, they got on their feet and ran for their lives.

Gareth was thinking very fast, blood hammering in his ears. If they wanted to get back to the castle, they would have to get rid of Morgana first –they couldn't let her know that they were hiding in Camelot, or else Mordred would be in the perfect situation to kill them in their sleep.

He barely had time to think about turning around to cast a spell that would take Morgana out of the way; he heard a woman's voice shouting a spell, and next this he knew, something very strong hit him in the back, sending him to fly forwards in the air, then land on the ground and hear one last, distant voice screaming: "Gareth!" before simply falling into darkness.

_Sixteen years later_

Morgana touched the border of her golden knife with the tip of a pale finger.

"What is this stupid woman doing?" she muttered, annoyed.

The doors chose that very moment to open on Gwen.

The former Queen had never looked so miserable. She was wearing a dress that looked like the ones she used to have as a servant, except it was –on Morgana's orders- plain black. She hadn't arranged her hair at all and they hand lifelessly, sadly around her tormented face. She was clearly putting up huge efforts not to cry in front of her new –or, in a way, old- mistress.

"Ah, Gwen", Morgana said with a smile. "I was beginning to wonder what you were doing."

Without a word, Gwen put down a plate charged with food in front Morgana, then stepped back. Morgana felt a rush of cruel joy –this was how it should be. She was the Queen. That meaningless, lowly woman was just a servant who had been foolish and selfish enough to think she could take her mistress's place.

"What a poor serving girl you have become, Guinevere", she said, smirking even larger. "You used to ask me if that would be all or if I needed anything else. Have you really forgotten that much while you pretended to be Arthur's pretty decoration?"

Gwen's eyes burned in pain at the mention of her husband. She bit her lip, but remained silent. Morgana tuttered.

"Why, is it possible that you have decided not to speak to me? My God, my life will turn really boring without anyone to talk to…and so will yours", she added with a cruel shadow in her eyes. "No husband, no brother, no son, no daughter, no friends…I'm afraid it's just you and me now, Gwen. Like old times."

She wouldn't have thought it would feel so delighting, tormenting that woman that could have taken her rightful place of Queen of Camelot, and was now, like so others, reduced to nothing-

A knock on the door broke her thoughts.

"Yes?"

Mordred stepped into the room. Ignoring Gwen, he said: "They have just ended gathering the bodies, Morgana."

She nodded. "Anything you would like to report?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Mordred came closer, and stared at Morgana with his deep, blue eyes. "It looks like several of the Knights' children have survived, Morgana, including Gwaine's son and his two daughters, one of Leon's sons and Arthur's daughter."

Gwen's head raised suddenly, her eyes shining with a new hint of hope. Morgana didn't miss it. "So?" she said. "You know what you have to do. Track them down and kill them. Your priority is Arthur's daughter –Anna Pendragon, I believe. I don't want any more rivalry for the throne of Camelot."

Mordred nodded, without showing any sign of emotion, and left the room.

Caelia and Anna were fully conscious that their plan was mad, but it was the only thing that gave them hope. Having a goal seemed the only idea that could hold off their grief and pain after the loss of their family.

"I know the castle by heart", Anna said, as they were facing each other around the remains of a dead fire, early in the morning. "With the tunnels, I'm practically sure we can sneak in undetected. Father has had the tunnels change to avoid any other break in. They changed recently and he told me he hid the new plans very well, but he showed them to me and I remember. Morgana and Mordred can't have found them yet."

"I see your point", Caelia answered. "The longer we wait, the greater risk there is that they have found the new plans."

"Yes. I have a very good memory, but we need to act while the memory of the plan is still fresh in my mind."

"But we need to have a plan ready, in case we come across Mordred or Morgana. They just can't be killed."

"Did Gareth tell you about it? There has to be a way to kill them."

"I don't know", Caelia replied, trying to remember. "I mean, I just remember him saying that even with Arthur's sword, we couldn't kill them since they have to be killed at the same time."

"If only we had it!" Anna said desperately.

"But we'll have to get another one like that", Caelia said. "Your father told you why it was so powerful, didn't he?"

"Yes, he said it had been forged in a dragon's breath."

Caelia was about to say something when they heard a noise behind them. Whispering voices and steps were closing in.

The young girl immediately jumped to place herself in front of Anna. It was her duty to protect the last living member of the Pendragon family. As they slowly backed down against a tree, a hand suddenly grabbed Caelia's shoulder. Anna was about to shout, but somebody covered the princess's mouth with their hand.

Caelia spun around and found herself in front of a very handsome sixteen-year-old boy, with long, dark hair and twinkling eyes. Behind him were two other teenagers, a boy and a girl.

She almost laughed with joy and relief, and threw her arms around him.

"Kay!"

She could hardly believe it; she had thought they were all dead, yet there they were. She only let go of him to hug the girl with curls all around her face.

"Lyonora!"

She could hardly believe it. She had thought they were all dead, and yet there they were; her older brother, Kay: her fourteen-year-old younger sister, Lyonora; and finally, Sir Leon's fourteen-year-old second son, Lionel.

Anna seemed just as astonished as she was, as she hurried to hug Lyonora.

"But how? How did you escape?" Caelia asked, bewildered, unable to take the smile off her lips as she glared successfully at Kay, Lyonora and Lionel.

"The passageway in the dungeon", Lionel replied.

"We knew there wouldn't be anyone in the dungeons, so all we had to do what sneak off there before Morgana started bringing in prisoners and be on our way", Kay explained, with a large grin that was exactly his father's.

"What about you? What are you doing here?" Lyonora asked them.

Caelia and Anna told them about their respective escapes. It was funny to look at Anna and Lyonora: they were practically the same age –Lyonora had just turned fourteen a few weeks earlier- but if Anna was short and scarwny, Lyonora was at least a head and a half taller and already looked like a woman.

"Are we really the only ones that have survived the attack?" Caelia asked.

"I'm afraid so", Lionel replied. "My three brothers are dead-"

"I'm sorry", Anna said, her eyes filled with tears.

Lyonora placed a hand on his shoulder.

"-and I didn't see anyobody else out of the gates in time. We were the only ones lucky enough to escape before the knights were stuck in the citadel and there was still time to run."

"What were you talking about before we interrupted?" Lyonora asked. "You were saying something about a dragon…"

Caelia repeated her previous conversation with Anna.

"–and so I said that even if we had it, Arthur's sword wouldn't be sufficient since we need another blade forged in a dragon's breath."

"Are you really planning to sneak into Camelot when every single soldier you come across means your death?" Lionel asked.

"I'm not leaving my mother there", Anna said. "If there's only once chance to save her, I'll take it. If you think it too risky, I'll do it without you."

"You've got some nerve", Lyonora grinned.

"That's the spirit!" Kay said cheerfully.

"We need to think of a way to get Arthur's sword", Lionel said. "If we had it, it would at least give us a chance to go through all the knights we find on our way."

"The problem remains the same: even if we had it, it would be no help in front of Morgana and Mordred", Caelia pointed.

"We could forge another blade in a dragon's breath and have two of them", Anna suggested.

"Great, it's a good thing we're wandering around with a dragon then", Kay said ironically.

"We'll have to make do without a dragon, I think", Lyonora sniggered.

Once again, Caelia thought of Gareth. If only he had been there…he was a Dragonlord, he could have called the dragon…

"Of course!" she suddenly exclaimed, making everyone jump. "A dragon!"

"Yes, that's what we were talking about. At least you've been following", Kay teased her, although looking a bit surprised.

"The lance! The lance Mordred and Morgana used to hurt the Dragons! Gareth once told me that strong as it was, Arthur's sword could probably hurt a Dragon. Well, why can't it be the other way round? Why couldn't a lance kill or at least severely injure someone immortal, if it can a Dragon?"

Kay was the only who gazed admiringly at his sister. All the others seemed quite confused.

"So now you want to steal it, in addition to take out the Queen?" Lionel said, as if to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"That's the craziest idea I've heard all week", Lyonora said. "I'm just not sure it's brilliant or completely mad."

"Probably both", Kay grinned, and he put one arm around Caelia and gave her a shake. "Attagirl."

"We're not going to stay here talking all night!" Anna shrieked. "We have to decide: either we do it, either we don't. And there's no way I'm letting my mother alone in Morgana's grip."

"Hear, hear, little princess", Kay grinned, and he winked.

"So we're in for it?" Caelia asked, looking at her friends, brother and sister wih a miw of hope and concern.

"Like hell we're not", Kay said once again. "We stand no chance. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I will do whatever it takes to free my mother", Anna said.

"All right, let's do it. I guess, in the worst case, at least we'll give Guinevere some company", Lyonora said with a little smile.

"It would be an honor to rescue the Queen, or die trying", Lionel said.

"Must you be so pompous, Lionel? I mean, can't you speak English like everybody else?"

But nobody paid Kay attention, not even Lionel. Caelia, Anna, Kay, Lyonora and Lionel were still standing, still fighting side by side, and that was the best they could hope for.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Merlin looked out the window. The sun had risen by now, and it was no longer dawn.

"They should be back by now", he muttered.

Gaius remained silent. Merlin knew why –he was the one that had insisted that the twins didn't leave the house, but Merlin had convinced him to let them go. However, the old man's eyes were filled with concern.

It had been a full hour since the twins had been off. He kept telling himself that they were warlocks, that they looked confident they could handle Morgana, and that maybe their parents' grave was farther than they thought, but as time went pitilessly by, he was less and less convinced by those statements. If something happened to the twins…he had been the one to encourage them to go, he should have stopped them…after half an hour, Gaius had suggested in an unconvinced tone that maybe he should get some sleep, but he had just looked at his guardian and didn't move.

He couldn't take his eyes off the door, wishing this stupid door would open to let Gareth and Elaine in. The same strange feeling came up him again: he hardly knew the twins, he had known them for less than two days, but nevertheless, he felt some strange kind of bond with them. Apart from the fact that they'd obviously been through a lot, he didn't want anything to happen to them. He had this strange feeling towards them, like he wanted to protect them, and at the same time was eager to know more about them. Let alone the fact that he still couldn't tell who they reminded him. But most strangely, there was the fact that Arthur, too, had said that they looked familiar to him. Did they look like somebody that both he and Arthur knew then? Were they the future children of someone close to them? But who?

Perhaps his feelings towards Gareth and Elaine came from the way the twins acted with him, like they had always known each other. They had said he knew their parents…but the more he thought about it, the less he could see anyone in his close entourage that looked like them…but he couldn't deny that they looked definitely familiar, though not in the same way…Gareth was the one that looked most familiar, especially his eyes and something in his smile…but now that he thought about it, Arthur had seemed to look more at Elaine than her brother…who on earth could those two remind everybody of?

"I'm going after them", Merlin suddenly whispered, and he jumped on his feet.

"Merlin!" Gaius called him back. "You can't!"

"Yes, I can, and there's no stopping me, Gaius. I'm going to look for them."

"Arthur is to make an announcement in a few hours! What if he asks where you are?"

"You just tell him I'm anywhe–no, wait", Merlin stopped, his hand on the door, "on second thought, why don't tell him I'm–picking herbs for you or something?"

Gaius held back a smile. "All right, off you go. And Merlin?"

The warlock was already half out of the room, and his head popped back in the room.

"Be careful."

Merlin smiled and left.

Gareth wouldn't have understood he was awake, had it not been for the soar headache that seized him the moment he emerged from the darkness. His eyes weren't yet open, but he already felt the numbness in his limbs, and he finally took notice that he was lying on a hard surface, and probably had been this way for a while.

The next thing that found its way through his misted mind was a strange feeling of weakness. It was a curious sensation, like he'd lost something very important, but couldn't quite figure what.

He opened his eyes.

"Hello there", a voice said next to his right ear. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd wake up."

He blinked many times before he understood that it wasn't his sight that was blurred, there was just nothing to see on the cold, black stone floor he was sitting on.

"Talk a little less loud, would you?" he mumbled.

"Don't worry about the headache", Elaine said. "It'll get off in a few seconds. I've been awaken for a few minutes now."

Gareth looked around him.

They were sitting in a dark, stone cell, his back against Elaine's; there was no window in the cell, the only light coming from somewhere far behind the bars, which explained why he had thought at first that his sight was blurred. There was nothing to see behind the bars, only a long, dark corridor with a dim light at the end of it. When he wondered why he and his sister were sitting like this, he realized it was because their hands were tied using shackles; their shackles were somehow linked to one another, so he couldn't move his hand without taking Elaine in the movement and, most importantly, every time one tried to move a little too brutally or hard, the other's shackles stuck into the skin of his or her wrist, causing a short but burning pain.

"Any idea where we are?" Gareth asked when his mind was finally clear.

"No. I didn't hear anyone. I guess we're in some sort of Morgana's hiding place, but I couldn't tell where. I haven't even seen her."

Gareth took a deep breath and tried to analyze the situation.

"All right, it shouldn't be too hard to get these shackles off. Shall we do it together?"

"Right. On the count of three-"

They both looked down on the shackles in their back and, not knowing the proper spell to open them up, they just let the magic out of them do what was needed for them.

Unfortunately, there was no magic to be found in them.

"What's happening?" Elaine whispered, her voice starting to panic.

They tried again, but it was like searching energy inside of them that their body just couldn't provide. Gareth was finally realizing where his feeling of weakness, of being uncompleted, had come from.

"This isn't working", Elaine said desperately.

"Maybe it's just these shackles that block off the magic", Gareth suggested, but not very hopefully.

"We'll try and blow up the door", Elaine said.

They both shouted "_Astríce!_" at the door of their cell, but it was no use. In fact, they realized that the more they tried to do magic, the more the shackles seemed to tighten around their wrists. If they tried once again, it would probably end up cutting the skin.

They fell a rush of despair overcome them; they were stuck in a cell, God only knew where, chained, and unable to use magic –in other words, unable to do anything.

Elaine would have shouted in anger and bitterness; she thought about the irony of going to swear on her mother's resting place that they would kill their father's assassin, and being kidnapped a few minutes later by the ally of said assassin.

They had no choice but to remain there, trapped, the shackles torturing the skin of their wrists, for at least hours, before finally hearing voices at the other end of the corridor.

"…can be no mistake this time, Alined. I will not rest until Camelot is at my feet." Morgana.

"I understand, milady, but you must understand that Camelot grows stronger by the day. Its capture is not to be undertaken lightly. And you are just prepared to rush into it…I must admit I wasn't convinced by your statement that Camelot could be ours before the end of the week…"

"You seem to forget, Alined, that we have an ally in the place. Mordred is devoted to our cause, you can be sure of that."

"There can be no doubt he is devoted to _your_ cause, Morgana", the king's cold, unpleasant voice replied bitterly, "but what about mine?"

"I thought we had common purposes", Morgana's voice, colder, if possible, than Alined's.

"You just _assumed_ we had, Milady. I want to see Arthur Pendragon down, of course, just as I want to weaken Camelot. But once I've helped you, you will just sit on the throne the minute Arthur will leave it. How exactly does this serve my purposes, Morgana?"

There was something threatening in the word "purposes".

"I told you, Alined, once I've won control of the kingdom, we can unite our armies to take over the rest of the land. That, I think, would add a fairly surface to your kingdom. Or perhaps you think you are being treated unfairly?"

Alined's voice was furious when it answered:"Certainly not, Morgana."

"Good. Because you are not the only support I could find in this land, Sire. If you do not want to help me, I am sure others will be glad to back me up while I take over Camelot, and then share the entire conquered land with me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Very clear indeed."

"Then we have nothing else to say to each other. When can you get your armies ready?"

There was definitely a thick sign of frustration in Alined's voice when he said:"By the end of the week, Milady."

"Very good."

The sound of heels echoed against the stone wall as a figure quickly grew nearer to the cell, until finally, Gareth and Elaine saw Morgana standing behind the bars.

She stopped and stared at them, a cruel smirk on her lips. "Well…I wouldn't have thought we would see each other again so soon."

She pulled out a key and pushed open the door of the cell. Gareth and Elaine went rigid.

"So", she said, the smirk still in place, "so…Emrys is not alone. He has two teenagers by his side."

She knelt down to be at the same level as them.

"This is what's going to happen. I am going to ask you a few questions, and you will answer them, no matter what I have to for that. First, who are you?"

The twins remained perfectly silent. Morgana sighed.

"Well, I already know you", she looked at Gareth, "are called Gareth, and unless I'm mistaken, our other guest is Elaine."

Without saying a word, Gareth just stared at Morgana and didn't look away. Her smirk faded and disappeared.

"I said, _who are you?_"

Elaine couldn't see Morgana's face, but she already enjoyed imagining the frustration in her eyes.

"Where do you come from? How does Emrys know you? Who are you?"

But the twins wouldn't talk. Morgana stood up.

"Very well", she said, her eyes burning with anger. "_Very well_…if you won't talk then, maybe I should make you."

She took a few steps back from them, and then smiled in a way that sent a chill through the twins' spine.

"Prepare to experience pain like you've never known", she sniggered. "I'm going to enjoy this."

And she walked out the cell, slamming the door closed behind her and locking them again.

Gareth and Elaine remained there, back to back, shaking. They just couldn't talk. The fear of what was going to happen to them just seemed to shut down any other thought.

After a few minutes, Elaine muttered: "What do you think happens back home…if we die here?"

Her brother didn't answer. She knew he probably wished she hadn't asked the question, but she couldn't help it. Without magic, the possibility of death appeared more surely and closer to them than it ever had.

"You know you've always been there", she whispered. "You're the best brother I've-_ow!_"

Gareth had suddenly pulled the shackles, thrusting it into Elaine's wrist in the movement. The pain got off as quickly as it came, but leaving Elaine's blond to pounder at the place the shackles had almost torn the skin.

"Save it for later", Gareth mumbled.

At this moment, they heard the high heels heading quickly to them, and next minute Morgana was back, holding what looked like a little snake. She was no longer smiling.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked, showing them the little, black snake in her hands.

The twins knew, and a sudden wave of terror overcame them. But they did their best to remain still. Their silent brought back the beginning of a smirk at the corner of Morgana's lips.

"It's called an afar." She knelt down in front of Morgana, so that Gareth could no longer see her, even if he almost ripped his head off his neck trying to look behind. "I don't often use it but with a little persuasion, it can cause a man pain beyond any magic."

Gareth felt his sister shiver. "So you've got a choice", Morgana said. "Either you tell me all about you and Emrys…or suffer the delights of my little friend here."

Elaine didn't immediately reply. Gareth knew she was trying to control her fear. Then she said "Go to hell, Morgana."

The witch sniggered. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Before Gareth could do anything, Elaine shouted, and the scream echoed through the walls and almost pierced his ears. His sister's fists clenched, scratching him on the way.

Her sister's scream seemed to last forever before she went quiet again. She was trembling and panting. Gareth almost broke his neck trying to look at her.

"I am not asking you again", Morgana muttered. "_Who–are–you_?"

And once again, his sister was screaming in his ear, a terrible scream that felt like a torture even to him-

"Stop it!" he shouted before he could stop himself. "Let her go! She's my twin sister but–take me instead, please!"

Morgana laughed and swooped down on him and slapped him in the face.

"I have a little quarrel with your sister, Gareth", she said, the smirk back in place. "You see, it was her who tried to kill me in the forest…so she will suffer my displeasure instead of you. Unless, of course, the pain kills her."

Gareth gulped, and at the single thought of his sister dead he felt a chill in his body.

He shook his head to get his mind clearer, and as he did so, Elaine shouted once again behind him. Morgana probably didn't know she wasn't torturing just one person right now.

Elaine was crying now.

"We're M-Merlin's relatives!" she cried, her voice almost choked in sobbing. "Please…we're his cousins and…and we wanted to help him. PLEASE!"

Gareth didn't need to look to see why she had shouted the last word. Elaine's body horribly twisted under the action of the Afar, before almost collapsing when Morgana removed it.

"Merlin's cousins, now?" Morgana muttered. "What a likely story…anyway, I'm not interested in you anymore. No matter who you are, you are going to die. So it makes no difference who you really are."

Elaine was trembling all over so hard it made the shackles shake.

"Whatever you're hiding from me, you can take with you in the grave. But perhaps…just to make sure you are really telling me the whole truth…maybe one last shot would be enough, how about it!"

"No!" Gareth screamed, but his voice was overcome by the piercing, terrified cry of pain that escaped his sister's lips. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing it would stop, wishing the silent to come back, wanting to press his hands against his ears, or better, to take his sister's pain upon him –anything for her to stop shouting in pain…

After what looked like an everlasting moment, Elaine finally kept quiet, but he didn't open his eyes until he was sure it was over she wouldn't be tortured again. He heard Morgana getting on her feet and calling: "Guards!".

The sound of heavy steps echoed from the corridor, and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw four figures closing in and walking in the cell.

"Take them", Morgana ordered.

Brutal hands grabbed Gareth's arms and next thing he knew he was on his feet. It was not easy to walk out of the cell, since Elaine was obviously in no condition of walking and had to be dragged out. Her wrists kept taking Gareth's down and his skin was in agony around the wrists. As he was pushed in the corridor by the four guards who were half carrying them, Gareth realized that a tear had rolled down his cheek.

The twins were dragged across the corridor, and then climbed stairs –this was not an easy bit- and started walking through long, complicated dark stones corridors that looked like they'd been abandoned for long. They passed one or two rooms that had lit fires in them, but he wouldn't have been able to remember it and his heart was pounding as he was burning to turn around and check his sister was all right –as he knew she wasn't.

Finally, without really knowing how –Gareth hadn't paid much attention to the way-, the found themselves out of what looked like the remains of a castle. They were in the courtyard, on top of a hill above a lake. All around them was the forest.

The guards, led by Morgana, dragged Gareth and Elaine straight into the forest. They walked for maybe ten minutes before the four men finally dropped them on the ground where only being tied to her brother stopped Elaine from collapsing on the dead leaves.

Morgana placed in front of Gareth and let out a cruel laugh. "Did you really think I would leave you alone if you didn't say anything?" she sniggered, and her cold laugh was not human. "Farewell then, Gareth and Elaine, _cousins_ of Merlin."

With a last laugh, she walked out of sight.

The minute she was gone, Gareth tried to look down at his sister.

"Elaine, are you OK? Speak to me, please, Elaine, speak to me…"

She didn't say anything. Gareth's heart hammered in his chest –she couldn't be dead, she couldn't be dead, she couldn't be-

"Elaine, answer me…"

He heard the sound of ruffled leaves and lifted his head.

All around him, at least twenty giant, glistening Serkets were making their way towards them.

If Gareth had felt fear back in their cell, it was nothing compared to this. His heart started beating so fast it was the only sound he could hear, louder even than the disgusting, high-pitched noises of the giant scorpions as they slithered on the ground closer and closer to them. Gareth's hands sweated with panic –they couldn't do magic, they had no way out of here–

Then it came to him. He was so terrified, the situation came to him in a sort of desperate, sudden way. All he knew was that if this didn't work, nothing would. He kept telling to himself that it wasn't like using magic, since it was a part of him, as much as the language he spoke, but he didn't care anyway because he had nothing to lose.

Taking a deep breath, Gareth looked at the sky and let the most magic part of him, the inherited part of him roar its way out of his body. His voice was deeper than usual as he shouted the words at the sky.

"_O dragon! E mala, supesende kesulpae nekes!"_

He remained there, panting, sweating, praying all the gods for the dragon to hear his call, _please make it work, please make it work, please make it work-_

And then one of the Serkets stung him.

It happened very fast. He felt something sharp penetrate his left arm, and next thing he knew a burning, acute pain exploded in his body. It was like having a red-hot iron stuffed under his skin. He could almost feel the poison of the Serket making its way into his veins, creeping fast into his body, just as the monster slithered on the ground, towards him-

The pain was too much. He couldn't take any more. He collapsed on the floor, taking his sister as he fell.

They were going to die.

He knew it. There was nothing left to hope. The dragon hadn't heard them. Maybe the fact that his father was still alive in this time blocked his powers? He didn't know and didn't care. The pain burned his thoughts, he couldn't think clearly-

Closer and closer the Serkets advanced. Any minute now, they would be on Gareth and Elaine-

They were going to die.

His vision blurred. Maybe the Serket's poison would kill him before the monster? He hoped so. _At least the pain will stop._ It was all that mattered now, as the rain started falling on him from the clouded sky, raindrops pouring all over his face, and trying to get under his shuddering eyelids. _Make the pain stop._

And it did seem to fade away. That was it. As the disgusting, glistening, dark body of a Serket filled his field of vision, he understood that it was over. He was dying.

And the roar he heard was probably that of death coming to take him from this world, as was the sudden, blinding light that erased everything, even the dark figures around him-

Before finally, the darkness enveloped him and he fell unconscious.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**A/N: The last chapter was AWFUL to write...I finished it at 11:00 pm and had heart palpitations. I hesitated until the end to decide if I wrote it from Gareth's or Elaine's POV... I'm not really glad with this chapter, but let's just say I'm keeping my strength for later :) On with the story!**

* * *

The rain was falling on the lake.

The sight of the raindrops splashing and rebounding on the water would have meant nothing to most people, but to Merlin it meant the revival of one of the saddest and most painful memories in his life. For it had also rained the day Freya had died.

For an hour he had run in the forest, calling Gareth and Elaine, trying desperately to find them. He had walked out of pure instinct. He had no idea where he was going, and his feet had taken him to the lake that had become Freya's last place –and, later, Lancelot's.

He was about to look down at the lake when suddenly, his voice was filled with the confused, mixed echoes of a voice that didn't belong to him.

_Morgana! –I'm coming–Emrys-Morgana!–he's here–he's in Camelot-_

_Merlin is Emrys!_

Merlin stopped dead as the last voice ringed in his head. The voice was Mordred's. And he had just said that Merlin was Emrys.

A nasty feeling crept in Merlin's back. He ran away from the lake and walked further into the forest. He needed to focus, to concentrate, to bring back the conversation that had taken place. And then Morgana's voice was filling his mind too, in addition to Mordred's.

_I have to see you at once–what does she want? What's so urgent?–Emrys–he's coming for me –Emrys-he attacked me–he has two other people with him–we have to kill him–he's in Camelot–Emrys is in Camelot- _

_Merlin is Emrys._

Merlin remained where he was, struck with horror. Morgana knew. At last, Mordred had told Morgana the one secret he hadn't been able to tell her. Morgana knew he was a warlock. Worse, she knew he was the very warlock destined to be her doom, the one that was protecting Arthur from the shadows and ruined her plans.

Merlin spun around and started to run.

* * *

"Gaius! She knows!"

Gaius almost dropped his books when Merlin came barging in, panting.

"What are you talking about?"

"She knows", Merlin repeated desperately, closing the door behind him and sitting in front of his guardian. "Morgana knows I'm Emrys."

Gaius's eyes rounded. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I heard voices and I'm sure Mordred told her."

Gaius's eyes were full of concern. He closed his book.

"But if she knows you're Emrys, and that Gareth and Elaine are with you-"

Before he finished his sentence, the door opened on Arthur.

"Ah", he said at the sight of Merlin, and a nasty grin spread on his face. "_Mer_lin."

Merlin stood up and tried to give Arthur a little smile. He probably looked more worried than anything else because Arthur's grin grew wider.

"So", he said. "I make an announcement this morning, in front of the whole of the Camelot, and who's missing? My manservant!"

"Err–yeah, I suppose you could say that", Merlin replied.

"So where have you been?" Arthur asked, with a Let's-see-you-get-out-of-this-one expression.

"I've been…picking herbs", Merlin quickly answered, remembering just in time the excuse he'd made up before leaving.

"For two hours?"

"I wasn't gone for that long."

Arthur just waited.

"Well, I…went a little far in the forest, and er…got lost on the way back", Merlin said, making up very fast.

For a moment Arthur just stared at him in disbelief, and Merlin thought he was going to burst out laughing, but he just let out a little laugh before saying, "Well, some things don't change. You really are a complete idiot sometimes, aren't you, Merlin?"

"Yeah, but the rest of the time…", Merlin mumbled, but Arthur wasn't listening.

"Well, after getting lost, I'm sure polishing my boots will help you feel safer", the King teased him, and he walked out of the room.

Merlin and Gaius waited until the sounds of Arthur's steps had died away, and then went back to business.

"I really must find Gareth and Elaine", Merlin muttered quickly. "If Morgana knows they're with me, it could have been she who kidnapped them."

Gaius nodded. Merlin had never seen him so concerned, but he understood, for he was on the edge of worrying too.

But as he walked in Camelot's corridor, heading for the stables, he almost bumped into a young knight.

He was about to say sorry when he realized it was Mordred.

The two men just stared at each other, in the middle of the corridor. Then he heard Mordred's mocking voice in his mind.

_You are good at hiding, Emrys. But not good enough._

Merlin's jaw clenched as he felt a rush of anger.

_Traitor._

Mordred smiled.

_You betrayed me first, Emrys. You tried to kill your own kind. _The smile vanished, replaced by a shade of hate. _You tried to kill me. I thought you were my friend._

_I am not your friend_, Merlin replied, struggling to stop his mental voice from shaking with anger.

_I am your kind._ Mordred's eyes flashed with anger. _We are the same._

_No. _Merlin had never been so confident about what he was saying. _We are different. I will never be like you._

Slowly, the sly smile made its way back on Mordred's thin lips. _So be it, Emrys._

He spat the last word with such hatred Merlin almost thought he was going to attack him. But the young man merely walked past Merlin and away in the corridor.

The young warlock looked at him. He knew he could handle Mordred, but the way the innocent little boy had turned into a cold, full of hatred young man somehow scared him.

But he didn't have time to worry about that. He had to find Gareth and Elaine.

After smuggling a horse in the stables, he rode out of Camelot and forgot about his encounter with Mordred as he rode through the forest, calling for Gareth and Elaine.

He searched the Eastern part of the forest for near an hour, but the twins were nowhere to be seen. Despite himself, he found himself heading his horse to the lake of Avalon.

Why did this place hold such an attraction on him? It wasn't exactly full of happy memories, except maybe the time when Freya had handed him the sword. Why? Why did he feel like this place held the answers to the questions that had bothered him since the twins' arrival?

He cast the lake one last look, thinking once again of Freya, her sweet, brown eyes, her gentle smile, the way her cheeks flushed in the dim light of the candles when he was being kind to her, and the memories were more vivid than ever…

He shook his head. He wasn't here to think about Freya. He was looking for Gareth and Elaine.

But after most searching and searching, he had to resign: the twins were nowhere to be seen. He hated to give up this way, he didn't want to, but he had no choice; he had been out for more than an hour now, and Arthur would soon become suspicious.

Hating himself, and feeling more depressed than he ever had in his life, he turned around and rode back to Camelot.

* * *

Gwen had a servant, now that she was Queen, but having been a servant herself, she wouldn't dream of letting another girl do everything for her. The serving girl had protested, insisted that it was her job, but Gwen wouldn't hear a word. They had finally come to some kind of an agreement, in which the serving girl did half the work –more, in fact, but Gwen didn't manage to convince her- and the Queen did the other half.

This is the reason why Gwen was making her bed and folding one or two clothes that lay forgotten on a chair when someone knocked on the door and came in.

Gwen turned around, expecting one of the knights, but it was Mordred.

"Mordred!" she said, surprised, but pleased to see him. "How are you?"

The piercing, water-like eyes swept past the room, then went back on Gwen. He bowed his head.

"Milady."

She smiled. "You can call me Gwen", she said. "My God, you've grown so much!"

"And you've grown more beautiful", Mordred replied with something that could have been a smile.

Gwen's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Well, thank you. I can't believe you're the little boy I've helped so many years ago-"

"Where is Arthur?" Mordred asked. His voice was very polite but he hadn't waited for Gwen to finish her sentence, which surprised her.

"Well, he's looking for Merlin", Gwen answered, and she couldn't help a little laugh when she remembered how angry her husband had been that the manservant had disappeared.

"Why? Where is he?"

Gwen was a little taken aback by Mordred's abrupt questions.

"Well I–I don't know, that's why Arthur's gone to look for him."

"Has he now?" Mordred muttered, his eyes scrutinizing Gwen as though making sure she wasn't lying. "Very well."

"Err–do you want me to give him a message?" Gwen asked as the young man turned around to leave.

"No, thank you, Milady", he replied.

Gwen nodded and finished arranging the sheets.

"Guinevere?"

She turned around. Mordred was still there, standing in the doorway.

"I wanted to thank you", he said. "I didn't forget about the fact that you helped me when I was hunted down by Uther's men. Without your and Merlin's help, I wouldn't be here." He smiled shyly. "Thank you."

"It was nothing", she replied kindly. "I know what it's like to face execution."

With one last smile, Mordred walked out the room and left Gwen alone.

So Merlin had disappeared.

Mordred considered that as he headed back to his chamber. He hadn't been sure about these "teenagers" Morgana had told him accompanied Emrys. But this made sense; he knew Morgana had kept them captive, and the fact that Emrys was gone proved that she had been right; he was doubtless looking for them.

_Mordred!_

The voice boomed in his mind. He hadn't expected it. It was the first time Emrys spoke first in a telepathic exchange.

He turned around, but Merlin was nowhere to be seen in the corridor.

_Where is Morgana?_

Mordred smiled. As if he was going to tell him.

_What do you want with her?_

_Where is she?_

Mordred couldn't remember feeling Emrys so angry.

_I am not telling you, Emrys. Why are you so interested in her?_

_Where are they?_

Mordred sniggered.

_Who are you talking about?_

_Don't lie, Mordred. You know what I mean._

_Maybe I do. But I do not know where they are. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you._

_Liar. You know where they are. Tell me!_

_That is not of your concern, Emrys._

Emrys's voice was almost radiating with anger when he said:

_Oh, but they _do_ concern me. I'll do whatever it takes to protect them. _

_I am sure._

Emrys cut the connection between their minds. Mordred laughed again.

* * *

_Sixteen years later_

Caelia had never been so glad to wake up and see her brother. Even Gareth's absence seemed a lighter burden to carry, now that she had her brother and her sister back, and an extra survivor. The five of them had spent the night taking turns in watching, and Kay was sitting, his back against a trunk, sword in hand.

"Hi", she said, stretching. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. You?

"I had a good night. Any trouble during the night?"

Kay shook his head and showed the forest with his chin. "Quiet as a tomb in there."

"You know", Caelia said, "Anna and I are going to need weapons."

"I know. I'm not really worried about this. There are blacksmiths in every little town. We'll just steal two of them first place we found."

"And then, we'll be off to Camelot?"

Kay smiled. "I guess so." He looked like a kid getting a present at the only thought of going back to the castle.

"Kay?"

"Yes?"

"Just don't be too-er-rash, all right? I don't want to lose you."

Kay gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry little sister. I'm too handsome to die."

Caelia laughed. "Well, just keep it that way, OK? You're an idiot but you're the only brother I've got."

"Well, you're not the only sister I've got, but if you die, it means I'll have to be alone to bear Lyonora. You wouldn't do that to me, would you, Caelia?"

A branch hit the boy on the back of the head as Lyonora appeared from behind the tree he was sitting against.

"What did you just say about me?"

"Hi, Nora", Caelia said casually. "Did you sleep well?"

Ten minutes later, Lionel and Anna were awaken too, and the five of them sat in a circle.

"The first thing we've got to decide is what our next move should be: rescue Guinevere, or steal Arthur's sword and the magic lance", Kay said.

"Well, without a weapon fit to kill these soldiers, we've got no chance to free Guinevere", Lionel pointed.

"Right. So we all agree that our priority is the weapons?" Everybody nodded. "Good. Now, about these weapons, we need to find a way to get into the castle unnoticed."

"Should we use the passageway that leads to the dungeon?" Anna suggested.

"There will be guards there, to watch the prisoner", Lyonora pointed.

"The one in the armory?" Lionel said. "The lance could be there."

"I don't think so", Caelia said. "That would be too much of a risk for Mordred and Morgana to put it there. They'll be in some special room, if not in their chambers."

"In that case it would be better to use that one behind the castle in the forest", Lionel said. "It's the closest one to Morgana's chambers."

"Very well", Kay said. "Shall we divide into groups or stick together?"

"Stick together", Lyonora immediately said. "There are just five of us, Kay."

"All right. We could be in Camelot in two nights, if we're fast and including the time to steal swords for Caelia and Anna. Does everybody agree to start the journey today?"

They all did.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The first thing she registered was a soar headache.

It felt like waking up from a nightmare and finding out you're still dreaming. Elaine was no longer unconscious, but her mind was misted, a sort of numbness imprisoned her entire body, and she would have wanted never to open her eyes again. She also noticed how heavy her eyelids seemed to be. Conscience slowly went back to her, but did not help with the way her limbs felt groggy. Now she felt more as if she'd been knocked down by something heavy. She registered that one of her fingers had moved, but it came from somewhere very far away.

The next thing she registered was somebody else's breath, next to her.

Slowly, her feeble eyelids lifted.

Fortunately there wasn't much light wherever she was, because she didn't think her eyes could have born it. She blinked, and her aching brain took notice of a curved, dark stone ceiling. Was she back in a cell? She tried to remember. The last thing she could recall was the Afar penetrating her skin, and then…this was the part that most looked like a nightmare. The images that came next were blurred, distorted, as though seen through half shut eyelids or with a piece of clothes on the eyes, with only one constant, terribly clear detail –pain.

She managed to move her head and caught sight of two large, bright golden eyes above her. She blinked and the eyes found themselves surrounded by a face and a body. She recognized it at once.

It was Kilgharrah.

"Lie still", the dragon said with his deep voice.

That was all Elaine asked for. She blinked again, and realized the irritating feeling on the skin around her eyes came from dried tears. She didn't have the shackles on anymore, but her wrists were still aching.

Just like the rest of her body, her lips felt heavy, but she managed to articulate two words with a hoarse voice: "What…happened…?"

"You were given the bite of the Afar", Kilgharrah replied. "Its bite is not like any other animal's bite. Your body will recover in time."

Elaine took his word for it, because she didn't feel at all like she recovering. Perhaps she was still in state of shock, but her hands were shaking slightly and there was cold sweat in her back.

"Why did you…come?" she croaked.

Kilgharrah's eyes narrowed briefly, as though she had asked a rather tricky question, and he pointed at something next to her with his large head.

"He called me."

She still felt quite groggy and wasn't sure it was safe to move. She tested herself by rolling over on one side to lie on her back; she managed it successfully, so she tried to straighten up on one elbow. It was a bit painful to use her numb arms again but she managed to do it too and looked at what the dragon had showed her.

It was her brother, who was also lying on the stone floor, still unconscious.

She would have wanted to rush to him and check that he was fine, but her brain seemed to work too slow to give her legs the order to move, so she just asked: "Is…is he all right?"

"The Serket's venom is powerful", Kilgharrah replied. "We have placed upon him an enchantment that will help him heal. But it will take time."

Elaine couldn't stand anymore on her elbow and dropped and lay flat on her back against the cold stone.

"Where were we?" she muttered.

"Near the remains of the fortress of Beltane. A place that was prized by the Priestesses of the Old Religion for magical experiment and secrets."

Elaine was sure the information was highly interesting, but her brain still worked twice as slower as usual, and for something to find its way through the mists of her mind was no easy task. Her throat was dry.

Her brother chose this moment to move a little.

"Gareth…"

The boy slightly turned, trying to catch sight of the people around him, then mumbled: "My head…"

"Are you all right?" Elaine croaked.

Gareth just let out a grunt of pain. Elaine was relieved that her brother looked more or less in a good state. But none of them were really in condition of traveling. Right now, she just felt so tired, her body heavy…

She heard a flapping noise, and the large, white figure of Aithusa appeared next to Kilgharrah. It looked ridiculously small compared to the Great Dragon, but when it landed on the ground and her great, blue eyes stared down at Elaine, the young girl couldn't help but feel a little better. Aithusa opened her jaw and blew on Elaine's face. She felt warmth spread through her body, and next second her limbs felt a little less numb, and her mind was a little clearer. Looking rather pleased with herself, Aithusa trotted along to Gareth and blew on him too. This allowed Gareth to turn around on his back. His eyes were half closed as he glanced at Kilgharrah.

"You came", he muttered. "You answered my call."

"We could not do otherwise", Kilgharrah said. It could be Elaine's imagination, but he sounded a little impatient.

"Thanks", Gareth croaked, his head falling back on the stone.

A moment later, he was sleeping again. Elaine watched him and heard a little noise above her head as Aithusa stared curiously at her.

"Thank you, Aithusa", Elaine whispered, and she put a shaking, weak hand on the baby dragon's nose.

Kilgharrah blinked. Elaine didn't know why, and didn't care. All that mattered now was that she and her brother were alive. When you came so close to death, she realized bitterly, made you much less particular on the general conditions of life. Living was enough.

* * *

_Sixteen years later_

"There you are", Lyonora said, dropping two swords in front of Caelia and Anna.

The girls bent down and picked one up each. Caelia examined her sword. There were tiny pieces of gold on the handle. It must have belonged to someone rich.

"Where did you get them?" she asked.

"Some pompous, arrogant Lord that found it very funny to frighten the peasants", Kay replied indifferently. "We just knocked him down, pulled him in a corner and smuggled his swords."

"He was carrying two swords?" Anna asked.

"Yes."

"Well", Caelia said, "at least now we've got weapons."

"Good, shall we keep riding them?" Anna said eagerly. The young girl had not taken very well having to wait for someone to bring her a sword. She was a princess, used to everything being brought to her the moment she needed it.

And so they rode. As they passed on a high road, they caught sight of Camelot, far away. This sight gave them hope, even if it meant closing in to their enemies –and very dangerous ones.

They were riding past a forest when it happened.

Three masked men jumped out from behind a tree and rushed on them, trying to hurt the horses with their swords.

They were only three against five, so Kay, Lionel and Lyonora had no problem slaying them in one shot.

Unfortunately, they weren't dead.

"Morgana's men!" Caelia screamed, and the five immediately kicked their horses to run away. But the men kept slashing the air with their swords. Scared, the horses reared up and threw down their riders.

They all landed on the ground and quickly got on their feet. The three immortal men walked to them.

"RUN!" Kay shouted.

The five teenagers did as they were told. They didn't care where they were going, only to outdistance the soldiers as much as possible.

"This way!" Anna and Lionel shouted.

Gwaine's children had no other solution but to follow them. They ran until they arrived at a way in the forest that cut down between two high crests of land. They ran again and again, and went back to a higher level of land, until finally they spotted what Lionel and Anna were after; the entrance of a cave.

They didn't look behind to check if their pursuers were still after them and just rushed into the cave. Only then, they turned around to see that their enemies were nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think we've shaken them off?" Lyonora asked, out of breath, as Kay positioned himself against the stone wall to check outside.

At this moment, one of the masked men ran into the cave. Anna shouted, but before the man could do anything, Kay jumped from his hiding place behind him and beheaded him.

Anna looked away, disgusted, as the man just collapsed on the floor and a pool of blood poured from his neck.

"There's one good new", Kay said as he kicked the body to check that it was really dead. "They're mortal."

"Yes, but you took this one out of surprise. In a real fight, it would be impossible to cut one's head."

"I know. But that's still a good new."

Caelia was looking from the body to Kay, and then from Kay to the body. She had noticed they were practically the same height.

"Kay", she said, as a crazy idea shaped in her mind. "I've got an idea…but it's…it's completely mad and…very, very risky."

Her brother just grinned.

"I'm listening."

* * *

Gareth and Elaine woke with a start.

"Why did you let us sleep?" Elaine asked the dragon who was just staring at them.

"I had to. You both received injuries from powerful magic creatures. You will heal, but it will take time."

"We can't", Elaine said, and she got on her feet despite her headache.

"We have to get back to Camelot", Gareth added, standing up to.

If Kilgharrah had been human, his brows would have raised.

"Camelot?"

"Look, we don't have much time, and we really need to get back as quick as we can", Elaine said.

"Will you carry us?" Gareth asked. He wasn't sure he was even able to walk. His legs ached and he had an irritating feeling in the arm, where the Serket had stung him.

"I will", the dragon said, but before Elaine and Gareth could thank him, he added, "but you will have to give me answers before I do."

The twins glanced at each other. They had guessed that the dragon wouldn't just let them go without asking any questions.

"All right, but please, get on with it, we haven't got much time", Gareth sighed.

"Who are you?" Kilgharrah asked. "I did not know there were other Dragonlords still alive."

The twins knew there was no point pretending.

"I'm Elaine, and this is my twin brother Gareth. We come from the future."

Kilgharrah's eyes widened.

"Have you traveled back in time?"

They nodded.

"The situation is desperate back home", Gareth explained. "Mordred and Morgana have taken Camelot, and almost everyone we know is dead. You said the only solution was to go back in time to prevent all this from happening."

"Did I?"

"Well, you from the future."

Kilgharrah slowly nodded.

"I see, and…I take it you are Merlin's son and daughter from the future?"

The twins exchanged glances.

"Well…yes."

The dragon tilted his head.

"How did you happen to be near the castle of Beltane?"

"We saw Mordred in the forest and we followed him", Elaine explained. "He met Morgana. But she saw us and she kidnapped us."

"Does the witch know of your ascendance?"

"No."

The dragon nodded slowly, his bright golden eyes fixed upon the twins.

"We have to go back to Camelot", Gareth repeated. "We came back to stop the future from happening, but if we don't get back and tell Merlin about Morgana's plan, it will be all for nothing."

"Does the warlock know who you are?" Kilgharrah asked.

"Well… no", Elaine replied. "You told us not to tell him."

The dragon's eyes narrowed.

"You from the future", she added.

Gareth tried to hide a smile. "I told you it was confusing."

"Well, anyway, you have to take us back to Camelot, _please_."

Kilgharrah stared at them for a few seconds. For a moment, they thought he was going to refuse. Then he said with an annoyed voice: "There can be no doubt Merlin is your father."

And he turned around to allow the twins on his back.

* * *

Gareth didn't know any healing enchantment for Serket sting, but if there was an efficient remedy, flying on the back of a Dragon was certainly it. The wind swept on his face and ruffled his hair, and he had a wonderful sight on the kilometers of forest and lakes under him. He felt as if he was far away from everything –and it was a wonderful feeling.

Finally, the dragon dropped them in the clear where they had landed after escaping the battle in Camelot. Looking around, Elaine realized it had only been two days since they had traveled back in time. The recent coming back of Mordred and Morgana seemed to have happened a very long time ago.

"Thank you", Gareth said to Kilgharrah.

"I am sure our paths will cross again, young Dragonlords", Kilgharrah said, gazing intensely at them. "Until then, I can only bid you good luck for your task."

And he spread his wings and flew away.

* * *

Merlin couldn't believe his eyes when the door opened and Gareth and Elaine walked in, looking exhausted and weak, but very alive and in a more or less good general state.

"Where _were_ you?" he exclaimed, jumping on his feet and watching the twins stumble in the room and collapse on a chair.

"Long story", Gareth replied.

"I was so–what happened to you?"

He was looking down at something on them with shock. Gareth and Elaine followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at their wrists; the dragon had removed the shackles, but their wrists were covered in bruises and cuts where the skin had almost been torn.

"We were kidnapped", Elaine grunted –she didn't like to think back of how they had been so foolishly overcome. "By Morgana."

Merlin's eyes widened.

"But how-"

"We haven't got time", Elaine said. "Look, we've overheard Morgana; she's made an alliance with King Alined. He's going to provide her with troops and once she's got Camelot, she's planning to conquer the five kingdoms and share with him."

"That's what she told him", Gareth mumbled. Elaine ignored him.

"So that means Mordred's probably going to try and give her the Cup of Life", Elaine said, talking very fast.

"We have to warn Arthur", Gaius said.

"He's sleeping", Merlin pointed, glancing at the dark sky outside. "How did Mordred take the Cup of Life, uh…last time?"

"He stole it", Elaine replied.

"And then he spread rumors that the thieves were on the border, to have Arthur dispatch Camelot's best knight and weaken Camelot for the war."

Merlin was thinking very fast.

"When do you think Morgana's army will be marching on us?"

"Alined said he could have his troops ready by the end of the week."

Merlin nodded.

"Well, that leaves us a bit of time to think about it. In the meanwhile, we have to watch Mordred."

"Wouldn't it be faster to kill him once and for all?" Elaine said. "That's what we came here for."

"It's too soon", Merlin sighed. "He saved some of the knights' lives today on a patrol. Arthur told me he was planning on having him knighted."

"If he was killed now, it would raise too much suspicion", Gaius said.

"It doesn't matter!" Gareth and Elaine protested at the same time, but the physician cut them.

"You are obviously exhausted. Get some rest."

"We'll take turns in watching him", Merlin offered. "He won't be left alone, don't worry."

The twins obviously didn't agree with this plan, but they got on their feet reluctantly. This wasn't the first time that they immediately stopped arguing when Merlin intervened, and he couldn't help but wonder why.

"Oh and…where did Morgana keep you captive?" Gaius asked.

"The fortress of Beltane", Elaine replied.

"Do you know about this?" Merlin asked Gaius.

"Yes I have", the old man said frowning, trying to remember. "It is mentioned to be a place used by the Priestesses of the Old Religion."

"At least we know where Morgana is", Merlin said.

"Will we try and get her there?" Gareth asked hopefully, but Merlin just said: "For now, we have to watch Mordred and make sure he doesn't steal the Cup of Life. Get some sleep; I'll take care of Mordred.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

**A/N:** **11 chapters already! Yay! Can't believe it! Thanks again for your reviews, you've no idea how much it means to me. You guys are great, thanks so much for you support! Here you go, next chapter!**

* * *

_Sixteen years in the future_

Early in the morning, Morgana was sitting on her throne, alone in a still dark room, one of her finger stroking her armchair, when the doors opened.

Mordred walked in, followed a few steps backwards by one of their masked men –only his eyes could be seen. He had a gaunted hand on his torso that had clearly been slashed by a sword.

"What is it, Mordred?" She asked.

"You told me to track down the survivors", Mordred said. "So I sent men as a lookout on the borders. Three of them ran into the fugitives near the border to Lot's kingdom, in the forest of Ascetir."

"I only see one man", Morgana said, raising an eyebrow.

"The others are dead, Milady", the wounded man said with a deep, motionless voice.

Morgana froze. "What did you say?"

Mordred stepped aside and the man took a few steps forward.

"The two others are dead, Milady", he repeated.

Morgana's eyes widened.

"They cannot be! They put their blood in the Cup of Life! They are supposed to be immortal!"

"Yet they died", the man said.

"How did it happen? Tell me!"

The man took a deep breath. "I and three companions were told to search the forest in case the fugitives passed by, Milady. And so they did. We saw them. Five of them, two boys and three girls. We attacked them. We were sure we had nothing to fear, being convinced, as Your Highness told us-"he bowed his head to Morgana "-that we were immortal. But they killed the two others."

"How? _Tell me!_" Morgana demanded with the shaking voice she had when she was losing her nerves.

The man didn't immediately reply.

"It was their swords, Milady. It had to be. When they stick their swords into the men's heart…they died. And their swords were like nothing I ever saw before. When they slayed my men…the blade glowed. A pure, golden light around the blade. It glowed every time it touched a man's heart."

Morgana couldn't believe it.

"It's impossible!"

"It happened, Milady. I saw it all happen. The fugitives have found a way to kill the immortal."

"But how?" Morgana screamed. "None of the fugitives have magic!"

"They are all friends with Emrys", Mordred intervened. "He must have told them about a way to kill the ones that have put their blood in the Cup of Life."

"But this way must require magic, doesn't it? So none of them could do it!"

The soldier spoke again. "I am convinced it had something to do with their blades. Their fathers must have told them of some place where they could find magic swords, or blades enchanted to be able to slay the immortal. I didn't see them use any magic, and they are only youngsters. I rather think they knew of some place where they found these weapons."

"He is right", Mordred said, without showing the slightest sign of panic. "Emrys must have told it to them before he died. It is the only solution."

"But if such blades existed, why didn't Emrys use them before?" Morgana said excitedly. "If he knew we made our armies immortal, why did he just tell them about these weapons and didn't use them?"

"Perhaps there are only a restricted number of these blades left", Mordred said, "and Emrys didn't want to waste them."

Morgana tried to think clearly. It was worse than she would have thought. When she had first found out about the fugitives, she hadn't been concerned in the slightest –what could a handfull of teenagers do without magic against her? But if what the soldier said was true, she was in greatest danger than she had thought –the survivors could kill her men.

"If I may", the soldier said –Morgana had almost forgotten he was still in the room. "Is the existence of these blades so extraordinary? I have heard that your half-brother also had a sword that could slay a man even if he had been made immortal with the Cup of Life."

"Well, yes, he did but–this sword is here! How could they have it?"

"May I see this sword?" the soldier asked.

Both Morgana and Mordred stared at him, frowning.

"Why do you want to see it?" Mordred asked.

"These swords looked familiar", the man explained. "Now that I come to think of it, they looked like Arthur's old sword. But I can't be sure about it. May I see it?"

Mordred looked slightly suspicious, but Morgana agreed.

"Very well. Show him the sword, Arthur."

The man followed Mordred out of the room. Mordred took him to Morgana's chambers. When they walked in, they found Gwen, who was making the bed.

If the man hadn't walked a little backwards behind Mordred, the latter would have seen him freeze at the sight of her. Gwen jumped when she saw the two men and immediately stopped arranging the sheets.

"Leave us", Mordred said sharply.

Gwen walked out of the room. As she went out, her eyes met the masked man's. She stared at him for a few seconds and he saw the confusion on her face, probably wondering if she really was seeing what she thought she was, and hurried out of the room.

Mordred hadn't noticed anything. He led the man to a wardrobe against the wall and pushed it a few inches aside, and then started feeling the wall with his fingers until he found what he was looking for. He then sticked his nails into the wall and pulled. A large bit of wall parted from the wall and fell on the ground, revealing Excalibur, resting in an alcove in the wall.

The man's eyes showed nothing.

"Here", Mordred said. "Did it look like this?"

The soldier's eyes narrowed, as if he was examining the sword and trying to remember.

"I am not sure…is it possible to see it closer?"

He made to take the sword, but with a suspicious look, Mordred stopped him with one hand and took a step forward to take the weapon out of the wall.

He never reached it. The moment he turned his back on the man behind him, the masked soldier pulled out his sword and smashed him brutally behind the head with the knob of his sword, knocking him inconscious.

"Never turn your back on your enemy, mate", the man smiled behind his mask. "Immortal, but you can still be knocked out."

He didn't waste time enjoying his victory. He knew he didn't have much time; he released the leather straps that kept Excalibur in place, grabbed it, shoved it in his normal sword's sheath, then took out a large piece of black cloth, wrapped his normal sword in it, tied it in his back and ran out of the room.

A few corridors before the throne room, he forced himself to slow down, knowing that it would raise suspicion if he burst panting into the room, and entered the gates perfectly calm.

"Where is Mordred?" Morgana asked the minute he walked in. She looked very nervous.

"I recognized the sword", the man lied. "They were the same."

"The five of them?" Morgana jumped.

"Indeed, Milady. Their swords looked exactly the same. And these swords…I don't know how to explain it…they give away a sort of power…"

"Yes, I know", she cut him.

"Well…I've noticed the same aura around the fugitives' swords."

"Did you tell Mordred that?" she asked.

"Yes, Milady. That's why he isn't with me; he stayed in your chambers because he decided to add some magical extra protection around Arthur's old sword. He said that the fugitives might try and steal it, which would be logical; now that they have a way to kill your men, they could try to weaken us, and I guess having such a powerful weapon in their possession would be a real advantage."

Morgana nodded slowly.

"I see."

"He also asked me to tell you this: if the fugitives are after Arthur's old sword, it would be better to hide Camelot's most powerful weapon safely. He mentioned a magical lance-"

"What did he say about it?"

"He said that it should be removed from its current place immediately and placed in a safer place such as behind the shield in the armory."

Morgana thought for a few seconds. The man did his best to remain still and not to show any of his emotion –he was, after all, supposed to be carrying a message he didn't understand.

"Very well", Morgana answered after what looked like eternity. "I shall see to it that the lance is removed. Go tell him that."

"Well…" the soldier hesitated. "Actually, Milady…Mordred insisted that the lance is moved _immediately_."

Morgana hesitated again, for even a longer time. "All right", she said. "You can go and tell Mordred that it will be done."

The man bowed his heart pounding. "Yes, Milady."

The moment Morgana could no longer see him, however, he ran as quickly as possible to the armory. Timing was crucial, he knew it. If Mordred woke up before the lance was placed in the secret passageway, he was lost. He had Excalibur, but if he didn't take the lance, he knew that he would probably never be able to get it again.

He crouched behind a lign of swords and waited, his heart hammering in his chest.

After a few minutes, the door of the armory finally opened and Morgana walked in, alone, a lance in her hand. He saw her remove the shield from the wall, revealing a large, square hole in the wall, slid the lance in it, and put the shield back in place before hurrying out.

Hardly able to believe that his plan had worked so well, the man waited for the sound of her steps to die away, then jumped out of his hiding place. Only the fear of being caught if anyone heard a sound stopped him from throwing away the shield that masked the entrance. He slid into the tunnel hid behind the shield, managed to turn around –which was not easy since the passage wasn't very large-, reached an arm out, picked the shield on the floor and managed to stick it back in place. Then, he turned once again around and crawled away as quickly as possible on his elbows and knees, the lance under his arm.

Only when he arrived at the other end of the tunnel did Kay stop and grinned widely in the dark.

* * *

"Kay!"

Caelia was watching outside the cave, anxiously waiting for her brother. When she saw him running towards her, wearing the clothes he had taken from the dead soldier, holding the lance in his hand, her heart jumped with joy and relief in her chest. She got on her feet and threw her arms around Kay's neck.

Kay was welcomed as a hero as he walked back in the cave, holding the lance triumphantly in his hand. Lyonora and Anna let out high-pitched screams of joy.

"You did it!"

"Well done, Kay!" Lionel said cheerfully. "And you've got Excalibur too?"

"It couldn't have worked better", Kay grinned, pulling out Arthur's old sword for everybody to see. "I told you it was worth it, little sister", he added, winking at Caelia.

"Well, it was dangerous", Caelia said, despite the large smile on her face.

"What do you mean? You're the one who came up with this idea!" Lyonora exclaimed.

"Well, yes but…I was worried sick", her sister replied, as if apologizing.

"That she was", Lyonora laughed. "What's wrong, Anna?"

The youngest girl looked at Excalibur with eyes filled of tears.

"It's just…this sword…it reminds me of–of my father."

Lyonora put an arm around the princess's shoulders.

"How could I forget to tell you?" Kay exclaimed, making everyone jump. "I saw your mother, Anna."

The young girl suddenly lifted her head in hope. "Is she all right?"

"I think she is…well, as good as can be expected. She was cleaning Morgana's chambers when I saw her."

"She made the Queen her servant?" Lionel asked, looking both shocked an angry.

Anna's eyes sparkled in fear.

"I will not let my mother crawl in front of that filthy Morgana! I will make her a queen again if it's the last thing I do!"

"We'll be with you", Lyonora said, her arms still around her friend's shoulders.

The rest of the group were about to express their support too when they heard shouting outside.

"There! There's a cave, look! He must have got in there!"

"You were followed?" Lyonora jumped.

"Well, obviously!" Kay retorted.

"How could you-"

"Later, Nora, later. Just hide yourself!"

They barely had time to jump behind rocks for their lives; a minute later, at least ten men streamed in the cave.

Kay jumped forward and stabbed him with Excalibur; the man litterally exploded. Kay slayed two more men this way, but he was now surrounded and Caelia, Lyonora, Anna and Lionel had no choice but to jump out of their hiding places to help him. They kept the men distracted as long as they fought them; then they would push him in front of Kay, who would finish them.

"Let's try it!" Kay shouted, and he threw the lance straight into one of the men's chest.

The man collapsed on the ground. For a moment, he just twisted on the stone in agony, his limbs shaking horribly and Kay thought for an awful second he would get up again; and then blood came out of his mouth until finally his eyes rolled upwards and his head fell on the ground where he lay still.

With a cry of joy, Kay pulled the lance out the man's body and shouted: "It works!"

With Excalibur and the magical lance, they finally managed to kill all of the soldiers. It wasn't the same way as it was with the sword: they didn't explode as they did when striked by Excalibur, and it generally took more time, but they finally died.

When finally there was no enemy left, Kay, Caelia, Lyonora, Anna and Lionel couldn't help screams of joy and hugging one another.

For the first time since they had to flee Camelot, they were now seeing some real hope that they could bring down Morgana and Mordred again.

* * *

Merlin had been hiding in a dark corner outside of Mordred's room for almost two hours whe he heard the voices in his head. As usual, it started with a horrible mix of echoing and screaming voices, until he heard Morded's voice: _What is it, Morgana?_

_Gareth and Elaine! They escaped!_

_How do you know it?_

_I had left them to the Serkets, but…when I came back in the morning, the Serkets bodies were burned. The only place that wasn't was where they were sitting!_

_How could this be?_

_I don't know, Mordred. But they have to be in Camelot._

_I haven't seen._

_But they have escaped!_

_I understand. Do not worry, Morgana. I will look for them. Wherever they are, they won't remain hidden for long._

_Be careful, Mordred. Emrys protects them._

_I know. _There was something frightening in the way he had said it.

_Has Arthur knighted you yet?_

_No. But I am sure he will do it before two days. One or two more hunting trips and I will have saved enough lives for that._

_Very well. You know what you've got to do once you're knighted, Mordred._

_I do. Don't worry, Morgana. When will Camelot be under attack?_

_Within five days, four if we are lucky. Alined is a bit reluctant._

_I will have the Cup of Life by then, Morgana. Have no worry._

_All right._

Merlin remained where he was, his heart beating. He had to protect Gareth and Elaine. But most importantly, he had to find out what it was that Mordred had to do once he was knighted.

But before he could think, the door opened and Mordred walked out of his room.

Merlin got on his feet and followed him. It was night and he had no problem following Mordred without being seen.

His heart jumped when he realized they were heading to Gaius's chambers, where the twins were sleeping.

He tried to think very fast. He couldn't use his magic in the middle of a corridor but if Mordred did anything to the twins…

They had arrived in front of Gaius's door. Mordred reached out to open it…

…and the door remained lock.

_Don't even think about it, Mordred._

The boy span around and found Merlin staring at him. The warlock was calm, his eyes filled with cool anger. Mordred smiled.

_Maybe I underestimated you, Emrys._

_I know what you came here for, Mordred. Go now and I won't have to tell Arthur who killed my friends._

_And I won't have to tell him who his trusted manservant his._

Merlin's jaw hardened but he just replied, _Any case, you have much to lose, Mordred. I don't care what you do to me, but you are not getting anywhere near Gareth and Elaine. Do you understand?_

Mordred's smile didn't vanish. _I do, Emrys. I do. Perhaps more than you._

Merlin's heart started beating a little faster. _What do you mean?_

_How very pathetic you are, Emrys. I thought you were almighty…the greatest warlock of all times…I have been looking for your weakness for a very long time, Emrys. A very long time. _Mordred sniggered and walked away from the door.

Merlin didn't breathe until he was out of sight. His eyes flashed gold and the door unlocked itself again. He walked in Gaius's room and closed the door behind him.

The twins were sleeping on the floor. He knelt down beside them and watched them sleep. He still couldn't understand why he felt somehow so fascinated by them. He couldn't tell why, but if felt like seeing a dream coming true…except he couldn't remember the dream…

He sighed, took a last look at the twins' paceful faces, then stood up and went to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Mordred jumped in front of Percival and slashed the man who was threatening him.

They were on a patrol on the northern part of the kingdom, mercenaries having been reported around this area, when they had been attacked. As always, Mordred was part of the trip.

"Thanks!" Percival said, grinning at Mordred.

He responded with his usual calm smile.

"It was nothing."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Mordred noticed Merlin watching him. He could hardly suppress the urge to laugh every time he saw the warlock. The mighty, powerful Emrys, who had to pretend he was a coward, a lowly servant, in front of those he called his friends.

"Is everybody all right?" Arthur asked around.

They were. The entire group of mercenaries that had jumped them had been killed, or was running away. The knights gathered for Arthur to see everybody.

"Well, Mordred", he said admiringly, "I wasn't sure at first, but this confirms it: you're lethal with a sword."

The boy merely smiled in modesty.

"It is an honor to fight by your sides, My Lord."

"You did more than fight by our sides these days", Gwaine said. "You even saved some of our lives during the process didn't you?"

"Yes", Percival said. "He just saved mine."

"Are you sure you don't want any kind of reward?" Arthur asked Mordred, as though he couldn't believe someone could be so helpful for free. Merlin repressed a bitter smile –if only he knew…

Mordred seemed to hesitate. "Well", he said, "if your Highness was generous enough to provide me with the highest honor I can think of…"

"That would be?" Arthur asked.

Again, Mordred seemed to choose his words carefully. "I have fought alongside you many times the past days, My Lord. It is a great honor to me but…now that I have…I wish I could continue without being seen only as a guest. I wish I was really allowed among the circle of the knights, and could then really call myself a Knight of Camelot."

Merlin had expected it, but Arthur looked surprised. "You really wish to become a Knight? But you are a Druid, aren't you?"

"I am. But once again, we Druids choose our way to make this a better world and we believe in standing for what we think is right. I do not always agree with some…opinions of my people. So I have chosen another way of fighting for what is good: to be one of your knights, My Lord. Besides, unlike the rest of my people, I am indebted to you. You saved my life. I can think of no other way to repay you."

As much as he hated Mordred, Merlin had to admit that the boy was skilled. His speech sounded so sincere, he could almost have believed if he hadn't seen the real Mordred.

But the Knights and Arthur hadn't, and they obviously had believed every single word of Mordred.

"Very well", Arthur said. "If you wish to become a knight, we shall arrange it. But you know the condition for that, don't you?"

"What is it, Sire?"

"You have to fight me."

Mordred looked at his feet. "I couldn't fight you, My Lord. How could I? You saved my life."

"If you want to become a knight, you have to fight me."

"Have I not already proven myself, My Lord? I have saved the lives of most of your knights. I even participated to some training sessions. You saw me fight; you know what I'm worth. I want to be a Knight for you, My Lord, not against you."

His words were followed by a brief silence. Yes, Merlin thought darkly, he was definitely good.

"Very well", Arthur finally gave in. "We will return to Camelot now, and you will be granted your wish."

Merlin couldn't help cast a dark look at Mordred. The boy didn't look at him, but Merlin could almost hear his mental snigger.

* * *

"Arise, sir Mordred, knight of Camelot."

The words Merlin hated had finally been spoken, two hours after their return to Camelot. He couldn't believe it.

He thought again about the twins, who were still in Gaius's chambers, except he had locked them in his own room this time. He had told them about Mordred sneaking up at night to try and kill them, doubtless. The twins had tried to argue, but he wouldn't hear anything; he couldn't bear the thought of something happening to them.

It was only later, during the feast celebrating Mordred's knighting, that he took his decision: he had to warn Arthur. He didn't want to, but he could see no other solution.

Arthur was sitting next to Gwen, drinking and laughing, cheerful. Merlin slid next to him and whispered: "You need to be careful."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, a large grin on his lips. Merlin wished he didn't speak so loud.

"I'm talking about Mordred."

"What about him?"

"He's not all that he seems", Merlin muttered, but Arthur just smiled.

"What are you talking about? Mordred's a knight, Merlin. He saved my life. What can be wrong with him?"

"I'm telling you, you shouldn't trust him", Merlin said in an angry whisper. "I know he looks like he's on our side but-"

"Merlin, come on", Arthur laughed. "He's seventeen. I saved his life and now he saved mine. What is the matter with you?"

"Arthur, _listen_", Merlin repeated, and Arthur seemed to try to be more serious. "Mordred's dangerous. He's no longer the innocent boy you saved. He changed."

"What makes you think that?"

He didn't like the way Arthur had asked. It was the tone he used when he pretended listening to Merlin without actually believing him.

"I've –I've seen him doing things", Merlin whispered reluctantly. "I can't really tell more but–please, you have to be careful with him. He could do much more harm than you think. He's bad news."

"Look, Merlin, I appreciate you trying to be vigilant, but this is ridiculous. I've helped Mordred, I saved his life and I helped him escape execution. Right now he saved my life _and _my men's lives. What harm could he do?"

"You'd be surprised", Merlin said through gritted teeth. "Look, Arthur, listen to me. Do you remember when Mordred was in Camelot, who it was that took him in and hid him?"

Arthur's face darkened.

"Yes, Merlin, I remember, but we are not talking about her now."

"All I'm trying to say is", Merlin lowered his voice, "she saved his life too. And she was the first to do so. Maybe he thinks you're not the only one he owes his life. He has every reason to be loyal to _her_ as well. He can't be trusted."

Arthur seemed to think it over, and for a few seconds, Merlin hoped he was going to agree, but part of him, the part that knew Arthur better, knew that it was a losing fight; right now, Arthur was cheerful, probably a little drunk, his wife was pregnant and he had a new knight in his rank. There just was no hope.

And this part was right.

"Look, Merlin, if Mordred really wanted me dead, he would have had more than the occasion to, wouldn't he? I understand you're worried, but I really think you're overreacting. Come, on cheer up, will you! It's a party!"

He slightly punched Merlin's shoulder. Merlin cursed Arthur in his mind. He wanted to call him all sorts of name, but he knew it just wouldn't do any good right now.

"Shall I bring you some more wine then, my Lord?" he asked between gritted teeth.

Arthur shook his head.

"No, no. Merlin, come on, it's a feast. Here, I'm releasing you from your duties for the evening. Why don't you sit down and have a drink with us?"

"Arthur, I really-"

"_Mer_lin", Arthur said with such a smug grin Merlin would have given anything to empty a jar of wine on his face, "I'm still your King, remember? And I'm telling you to sit down. Have a drink, that's an order."

Merlin sighed and dropped himself on a chair on Arthur's right, shaking his head in disbelief. The King was just too much of a prat.

Gwaine chose this moment to pop out of nowhere, obviously drunk.

"Merlin!" he exclaimed. "How come you're not skulking around and making faces and telling me what a hangover I'll have tomorrow?"

"I'm not _skulking_", Merlin grunted, but Gwaine didn't hear him because Arthur had said triumphantly, "He was making faces, Gwaine, but I've convinced him to sit down and have a drink."

"Hear, hear", Gwaine said, holding high his tankard of ale, "princess", he added in Merlin's ear and burst out laughing.

Arthur pushed a tankard of mead in front of Merlin. "Come _on_", he said. "You're here to enjoy the feast like everyone else."

Merlin's eyes rolled but he just drank some mead, hoping it would satisfy Arthur. He wanted to go and talk to Gareth and Elaine about what they should do now that Mordred was a knight, but he had a strong feeling that Arthur and Gwaine just wouldn't let him.

"Merlin", Gwen's laughing, happy voice came for Arthur's left, "why do you look so concerned?"

Merlin shrugged. "There's just nothing to do about him, Guinevere", Arthur said shaking his head. "He just can't be happy when needed."

Merlin sighed again, but when he met Gwen's smiling, twinkling eyes, he just couldn't help a little apologizing smile. She laughed.

* * *

_Sixteen years later_

"HOW DID THEY GET IT?" Morgana shouted. "HOW _COULD_ THEY GET IT?"

Mordred didn't scream, but his eyes were gleaming with anger.

"This man attacked me from behind", he growled. "When I revealed Excalibur."

They were in Morgana's chambers, in front of the empty alcove where Arthur's old sword had been hidden until recently. Gwen was standing next to the door, but neither Morgana nor Mordred paid her the slightest attention. She, on the other hand, was only half hearing Morgana's screams and Mordred's cold voice.

She thought about the man that had apparently stolen Excalibur. She had met his eyes just before leaving the room, and she was sure the man had stared back at her. Neither Morgana nor Mordred had ever actually seen him, but she had recognized him. At least she thought she had. But the more she thought about it, the surer she was.

The man behind the mask had been Kay, Gwaine's eldest son.

She tried not to think too much about what it implied. Mordred had listed the survivors unaccounted for; she remembered that Gwaine's children had been among them. And if it had been him –if he was alive…did that mean that Anna was too?

"That means that everything he told us was a lie", Mordred added. "He lied to us about the fugitives having swords like this one."

"But he was wearing our men's clothes! And you _did_ send three men in the forest near Ascetir, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Then what happened to them?" Morgana said, her voice growing nervous and panicked to them. "They haven't come back, have they? Do you think they're _dead_?"

"They might be", Mordred muttered. "Now that we no longer have the only two weapons fit to destroy our army, everything is possible."

"You think the fugitives are the ones who stole the sword and the lance?"

"It is likely."

Morgana's jaw clenched.

"This has gone far enough", she said through gritted teeth. "I will not allow some _teenagers_ to stand against us."

"They will not", Mordred said in a low, cool voice. "If I get my hands on the man who knocked me down, he will beg me to kill me when I'm finished with him. I should have been more suspicious. I turned my back on him. It won't happen again."

"It isn't your fault. It was I who allowed him to see the sword. And anyway, what can they do? They are but a handful of youngsters against us and our army. Even if they can kill our men, they are no match for us." Morgana's confidence and smirk were back.

"I know, but their recklessness and their confidence worries me. You know as well as I do how far one can go with determination. They could be a danger."

Morgana nodded slowly, still smirking.

"Double the effective. If these stupid knights' children are to arrive to Camelot's gates, I want there to be as much soldiers to welcome them as possible."

"I will."

* * *

It was nearly midnight when the feast ended. The banquet room darkened as the servants turned out the candle until there was only a dim light on the tables. Most of the guests had gone to bed and the only remaining people were the King, the Queen, Merlin and the knights. Gwaine was sleeping on a table, drunk. One by one, Leon, Elyan and Percival bid everybody goodnight, their voices thick with drink and sleep, and left the room. Now the only ones left were Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Mordred.

Merlin didn't like at all the presence of Mordred with them. He hadn't forgotten about the boy having to do something once he was knighted, and he feared this something, whatever it was, probably implied Arthur and information on Camelot. The problem was, a drunk and exhausted Arthur was exactly what these two things needed.

"Arthur?" Gwen said, shaking her husband's hand. "Arthur, we have to go to bed." She yawned behind her hand.

"She's right", Merlin said. "The party's lasted long enough, now come on."

Arthur could barely keep his eyes open. He got on his feet, unsteady on his legs, and swayed and grabbed his chair to hold himself. Merlin and Mordred rushed to him and both slid an arm under Arthur's to help him stand on his feet. Guinevere laughed and stood up too.

"I think you've drank _a bit_ too much", Merlin said. He wasn't particularly happy about it. Drunk Arthur could be very funny to see, but tired, hangover Arthur was much more grumpy and overbearing.

"You always jump to conclusions, _Mer_lin", Arthur managed to say with a thick voice. "I'm just a bit tired."

"I'm sure you are", Merlin grunted. Gwen couldn't hold back a little laugh.

Mordred, Merlin and Arthur managed to get to the corridor leading to Arthur's chambers, followed by Gwen. They were a bit stumbling, because they were half dragging Arthur on the floor.

"I'm going to my room", Gwen said after another yawning. "Goodnight, Merlin. Goodnight, Mordred."

"'Night, Gwen", Merlin said; Arthur's arm was growing heavier on his neck.

"Goodnight, Guinevere", Mordred said with his usual cool smile.

Gwen kissed Arthur's cheek, laughing. "I will see you tomorrow, Arthur."

"Goodnight, Gwen", Arthur mumbled.

They were finally seeing Arthur's room.

"Go to bed, Merlin", Arthur muttered. "It's all right-"he tried to break free of Merlin and Mordred's help, stumbled across a stair step and almost fell. Merlin and Mordrer managed to catch him back in time "-I'll be all right. I told you I'm dismissing your duties until tomorrow. Go on, go to bed."

"I'll just take you to bed, my Lord", Merlin said. He didn't like at all the idea of Arthur being alone with Mordred.

"I'll be fine, I'll be fine." The King waved his hand towards Mordred. "Mordred'll carry me. Why don't you just go and have some sleep? I know I'm not always kind to you, you know…I give you chores and all…so tonight, I'm giving you the night off. Off you go."

Merlin would have given in, had he not spotted the little smirk playing on the corner of Mordred's lips.

"I'll just put you into bed, Arthur", he insisted, but Arthur broke free of Merlin's arm and managed to face his manservant.

"I'm the King here, I'm telling you to sleep, so go to sleep! You don't go to bed now and I'll-I'll have you in the stocks for it. Understand?"

There was no point arguing. Shooting Mordred one last, dark, warning look, Merlin furiously walked away from the corridor. This was the part in Arthur being drunk that he disliked the most.

Mordred looked at Merlin going away, hardly repressing a snigger. He could hardly believe the plan was working so well –he hadn't hope so much as ending up alone with Arthur. That was perfect.

He pushed the door and dragged Arthur in his chambers.

"Thank you, Mordred", Arthur mumbled.

"It is nothing, my Lord. After all, this is all part of my new duty, isn't it?"

Arthur merely shrugged and almost collapsed on the edge of his bed, one hand on his face.

"My head…" he grunted.

"If I may, Sire, I am really pleased with you allowing me to become one of your knight. I feared you would not think me trustworthy."

"Why should I do that?" Arthur muttered, struggling to keep his eyes opened.

"Well, I am a Druid", Mordred said. He was now standing in front of the window, staring at the dark sky outside. "Under your father's reign, I would have been sentenced to death. In fact, I was." He turned around. "But I didn't die. Thanks to you and…well…to Morgana."

Arthur froze. "Why are you talking about her?"

Mordred didn't immediately answer. "Well…seeing you again…seeing Camelot again…it brought back old memories. I don't remember exactly everything in detail –it was almost ten years ago, I was a child and was sick with a fever most of the time-, but I couldn't help remembering that she, too, had helped me."

He looked down at the window again. "It's just hard to believe that you and she are no longer on the same side", he added.

Mordred felt a rush of happiness overcome him; everything was going exactly as planned.

"Tell me about it", Arthur mumbled.

"Did she really try and take over Camelot twice?" Mordred asked.

"Yes, and she nearly succeeded", Arthur replied.

"How?"

Arthur shook his head a little, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Well, first time, she and Morgause used the Cup of Life to make an army immortal and had it march on Camelot. The second time, last time, she got into Camelot using the tunnels."

"How did she manage to always get what she needed?" Mordred asked. "First the Cup of Life, then plans of the tunnels…it would be almost impressing, I must say."

Arthur's face drooped a little. He lifted it again.

"Traitors", he grunted. "Traitors always. First she overheard the location on the Cup of Life, and she knew that I would be going to retrieve it, and she sent men after me to steal it. Next time, it was my uncle Agravaine. He gave her plans of the tunnels."

"I see", Mordred whispered. His water-like eyes were now set upon the bright moon in the sky. He turned around to get a clear look at Arthur's back on the bed. "You were betrayed twice by your own blood…I can only imagine what that would feel like, My Lord. You must have suffered."

Arthur's answer to this was a grunt. Mordred took a deep breath.

"And…are you sure Morgana couldn't try and take over Camelot the same way she already did? How do you know she couldn't end up with the Cup of Life or the plans of the tunnels again?"

"No, she couldn't", Arthur mumbled. "The Cup of Life-" he tried to stand up, staggered and sat right back on the blankets, "-is safe in Camelot's vaults, and I've hidden the plans in my room, in a place only I know of. There's no way Morgana could lay her hands on them with no ally in the place."

"But if the Cup of Life is in the vaults…I am sorry, but…isn't it a bit risky? One can easily go down there and steal-"

"They'll have to get over my dead body first", Arthur cut with a thick voice. "The key is safe as long as I'm around."

Mordred had to turn his back on the King again to hide his smile. "I see, Sire. Clever of you, My Lord."

"Yes", a low mumble came behind. "You're never…clever enough…"

The next sound Mordred heard was a snore. The smile now wide on his thin lips, Mordred walked to the King, put Arthur's legs on the bed, then bent down on him and seized the bunch of keys hanging on Arthur's belt. Then he walked away, more than satisfied with himself, and he sent Morgana a mental message: _I did it. I've got the keys._

He felt the rush of wild joy in his ally's mind, followed by a triumphant sentence: _Well done, Mordred. Camelot is ours for the taking._

Mordred calmly walked away from Arthur's room and headed to the vaults under Camelot. He had no reason to rush: it was night, Camelot was asleep, he had the keys to the weapon of his and Morgana's power, and he was sure Arthur would have completely forgotten about their conversation by next morning. And even if he remembered it, Mordred had made sure that nothing suspicious had transpired in his words. He had nothing more than asking about Morgana's previous attempts to take over Camelot, and about the safety of the items she had used for that purpose. Nothing unusual for a knight.

There were no guards outside the vaults. Mordred put the key in the lock, pushed open the gate of the vaults, and started walking through alleys of treasures kept under Camelot. His heart filled with despite for Uther, that filthy murderer who had stolen so much from magical people, and now jealously kept these stolen items under his Camelot, as though they were rightfully his. But soon, he thought, Camelot's ruler would be a witch, and things would come back in order once again.

It took him a few moments to find it, but he finally spotted it: there it was, glistening in the dim light of his torch, pure gold, radiating with power.

The Cup of Life.

Mordred checked around him that he was alone, and then, hardly able to believe how well his plan had worked, he reached out a hand and took it.

His heart jumped with joy –the Cup of Life was theirs.

His heart pounding in his chest, he half walked, half ran out of the vaults, and shut the gate behind him, but he didn't lock it. He had to make it look like the thieves had used the keys to get to the Cup.

His mind and heart lighter with wild happiness, he walked away, his hand clutched around the Cup of Life.

* * *

**A/N: Dear, dear, what is going to happen now that Mordred's got the Cup? We'll see next chapter...and you'll also see again another character in next chapter, somebody everybody missed and who's going to become very important...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

**A/N: Writing this chapter was not easy at all…I hope nobody's out of character here. Please review when you finish, I need you to tell me what you think of it and of the story in general. Enjoy!**

* * *

Merlin ruffled the leaves with his feet as he walked through the forest.

The sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky was clear enough for him to see the soft green light of the trees around him, the wild flowers covered in dew…

…and, between the trunks, the clear, pure surface of the lake.

A large grin spread on Merlin's face.

* * *

_Four hours earlier_

"So, it's done then?" Elaine said, the minute walked in. "Mordred's a knight?"

Merlin had expected the twins to be sleeping, but they were waiting for him, perfectly awake.

"Yes", Merlin sighed with a dark look. "He is."

Gareth and Elaine exchanged desperate looks. Merlin sat near the window.

"And right now, he's alone with Arthur", he added.

The twins jumped.

"How could you let him?" Elaine protested.

"I didn't want to! But Arthur was half drunk, and he chose this evening to release me from my duties until tomorrow, and he _ordered_ me-"Merlin's tone and face were sarcastic, clearly meaning that it was not as if he couldn't do anything that didn't follow Arthur's orders "to go to bed."

The twins seemed to think exactly the same thing as he was, for Gareth said:

"Since when did you actually obey Arthur's orders if you didn't want to?"

Merlin sighed, closed his eyes and reopened them. "So what do you think Mordred is up to?"

"Well, we told you, last time, Mordred stole the keys to the vaults, took the Cup of Life, and then spread rumors that it was somewhere far away in the land."

Merlin nodded.

"So that's probably what he's going to do tonight", Gareth said.

"I know."

"We've got to stop him!" Elaine screamed. "This time, we'll _really_ change the future. I'm tired of just _saying_ we will and never actually do anything."

"Yeah…but what can we do? If we take the Cup before Mordred finds it, it won't stop him from telling everyone that it's been seen on the border and have the best Knights of Camelot be on their way, will it?" Gareth asked.

Elaine stared at Gareth. The boy looked back at him. "What?"

"You're great, Gareth", Elaine said.

"Uh…thanks", Gareth replied, puzzled.

"Yes!" Elaine exclaimed, as though she had just understood something. "Brilliant!"

"Could you please tell me _why_-"

"Look, Gareth", Elaine said, looking very excited, "you said that it wouldn't do any good if we took the Cup before Mordred, because he'd see it's gone, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"So the problem is all about Mordred _not_ finding out we've taken the Cup, isn't it?"

Gareth stared at his sister for a few seconds, frowning, and then suddenly amazement replaced puzzlement on his face.

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking-"

"Umm…excuse me", Merlin intervened, "but could someone be kind enough to tell me what's going on?"

"Look", Elaine explained, a huge grin on her face, "we have no choice but to get the Cup before Mordred does, right?"

"Right…"

"So all we have to do is let him _believe_ he's got the Cup, but he won't."

Merlin frowned, and then he understood what she was trying to tell him.

"You want to _duplicate_ the Cup of Life?" he asked in disbelief.

Elaine nodded enthusiastically. Gareth didn't look as confident as his sister, but he stared at Merlin, waiting for his reaction.

"It's worth a try", he said.

Merlin thought about it for a few seconds, but then he remembered that right now, Mordred was with Arthur, and he could be down to the vaults any second now. They were just running out of time.

"All right, all right", he sighed, "let's give it a try…"

Elaine was beaming, Gareth was smiling, none of them bothered by Merlin's obvious lack of enthusiasm for their plan.

The three of them hurried down to the vaults. Merlin kept hoping that they wouldn't be too late.

When they arrived at the gates of the vaults, Merlin magically unlocked it, and they rushed into the alleys of treasures piled up in there.

The moment he walked past the gate, Merlin felt a sudden, violent energy hit him like a wave.

Magic.

"It's in here", he whispered. "The Cup's in here. Mordred hasn't got it yet."

They ran past dozens of shelves before finally reaching the one with the golden, glistening Cup on it.

They just stared at it for a moment.

"How do we reproduce it?"

"I know the spell", Merlin said. "I think. But the last time I tried, I didn't make a very good copy…and it was just a piece of parchment, it was just something people could see. If it has to feel the same way this one does…"

"We'll help you", Elaine said, her eyes sparkling. "We'll give some of our magic too. The more powerful the spell is, the more convincing the fake will be. Don't you think?"

Neither Merlin nor Gareth were really sure about this, but Elaine looked overconfident. They placed themselves in front of the Cup of the Life, Merlin in the middle, Gareth on his right, Elaine on his left.

"Maybe we should hold hands", Elaine suggested.

"I'm not holding your hand", Gareth mumbled to Elaine, but fortunately he only had to grab Merlin's.

Merlin took a deep breath, reaching for the power inside of him.

"Repeat after me", he said.

And he started speaking.

"_Ic us bisen lif cuppæ ond afæstne þás gelicnesse._"

He hadn't immediately released his magic, waiting for Gareth and Elaine to share theirs with him. His eyes set upon the Cup of Life, he heard their voices whispering after him:

"_Ic us bisen lif cuppæ ond afæstne þás gelicnesse… Ic us bisen lif cuppæ ond afæstne þás gelicnesse…_"

They all closed their eyes as they chanted the spell, again and again. Merlin could feel the powerful, intense magic all round them, as they were trying to channel it into the Cup of Life.

"_Ic us bisen lif cuppæ ond afæstne þás gelicnesse… Ic us bisen lif cuppæ ond afæstne þás gelicnesse…_"

More and more powerful the magic grew, and as they chanted, they could feel obey their command, and bounding to their will, creating what they were chanting for.

Finally, when they felt it was over, they opened their eyes.

Merlin could hardly believe what he was seeing. The result exceeded his expectations. If it hadn't been for the amount of power they gave away, he wouldn't have been able to tell the fake Cup from the real one. Every single detail, every inch of the original Cup had been duplicated perfectly. He couldn't remember casting a spell that had given such a wonderful result in the past.

"Wow", Gareth summed up the general feeling. He looked amazed.

"This is basically a minor spell", Elaine said, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes twinkling. "If three powerful warlocks cast it together…it results in this."

At this moment, they heard a sound, somewhere far behind them.

Somebody was entering the vaults.

"Mordred!" Gareth said in a breath, and Merlin grabbed the real Cup of Life as the three of them ran and hid themselves behind thick trucks and shelves loaded in treasures.

A couple of minutes later, torchlight allowed them to see the young Druid walking calmly through the vaults. After taking a look behind him, he headed to the shelf where the fake Cup of Life rested, took it, and held it high. He had an unusual expression on his face, a sort of wild happiness, beyond his sly smile. Merlin had never seen him show so much motion before. The boy's knuckles tightened around the fake Cup as he quickly walked out of the vaults. They heard shut the gate behind him and stood up from their hiding places.

Hardly able to believe their own victory, Merlin, Gareth and Elaine left the vaults and hurried in Camelot's stairs and corridors back to Gaius's room.

As they all entered the physician's chambers, Gareth asked: "So what do we do now? I mean, yes, we've got the Cup, but we've got to hide it. If Mordred finds it again, it will have been all for nothing."

"I know", Merlin muttered. "Let me think…"

"Why don't we give it to the Druids?" Elaine suggested. "If we tell them what Mordred intends to do with it, they probably won't hand it to him…"

"Maybe not, but Mordred's a Druid", Merlin reminded her. "And he would be able to kill anybody to get his hands on the Cup of Life…"

He thought again. They needed a place where the Cup was safe, yes, but they also needed to make sure that if Mordred was to find out where it really was, he wouldn't be able to retrieve it no matter what he did. If only they could find somebody who could guard the Cup of Life…somebody who wouldn't hand Mordred the Cup of Life whatever happened…somebody they were sure Mordred couldn't hurt or kill to get what he wanted…

It came to him in a flash. He froze as the idea came up to him.

"I know", he whispered, so low he was the only one to hear himself.

He stood up so suddenly it made Elaine jump.

"What is it?" Gareth asked.

"I know the perfect place", Merlin said, and without looking at them, he darted out of the room, holding the Cup of Life in his hands, leaving Gareth and Elaine stare at him, completely puzzled.

* * *

For that reason, Merlin was now looking at the pure, translucent lake. It was the perfect place, he knew it. Neither Mordred nor Morgana could possibly know about what this lake meant to him. They couldn't possibly know what secrets it held, what lived in its depths…

He took a few steps closer. As usual, he spotted the little boat, only fit for one person. He walked to it, holding the Cup of Life firmly, sat in it and whispered:"_Astyre_". His eyes flashed gold and the boat started moving gliding swiftly on the lake, drawing furrows on the still water as it went. The sun had almost risen by now; he could even guess its light shaping behind the high mountains in the horizon.

He looked around. He knew he should have just thrown the Cup of Life into the lake and be on his way, but he just couldn't resist it. The possibility that she was around, that he was going to see her, was one temptation he couldn't get away from…his heart was beating slightly faster…if she was there, if he could see her…talk to her…his eyes scrutinized the lake, staring, and waiting.

And then, he saw.

A few feet ahead of him, the water was shimmering, as though something inside it was trying to get out, to free from the depths of the lake…

And then, before his eyes, she stood up. It was like the water of Avalon itself hurried away, swept aside, to free the way of the Lady of the Lake.

Merlin stared at her, convinced that he would never be able to look at anything else again. There she was, right in front of him. He felt moisture in his eyes and blinked it away –he wasn't going to allow tears to stop him from seeing him.

Freya.

She was dressed with a dress that looked very much like the one she was wearing when she had died, except instead of being purple, it was pure white. When she was alive, her face was dirty, her hair untidy; but now, her face was clean, just like it had been when he had spoken to her through the water from the lake of Avalon, and her brown hair was shining, her curls waving on her shoulder just like the waves of the water she had emerged from.

But Merlin didn't stop on these details; he only had eyes for her face, her beautiful face he had not hoped he would see again so clearly, so precisely, her complexion much more healthy and colored than when she was alive, her brown, sparkling eyes, and her smile, that smile he had missed so much, and the way she was looking at him, her eyes full of a love that seemed almost too much for her face to take, love and happiness he had never saw so strong in her eyes, back when she was alive…

But she _was_ alive…wasn't she? She was standing in front of him, he was seeing only her right now, but there was something…perhaps it was her pure white dress, of the fact that her feet were still in the water, but he had the feeling that if he tried to touch her, to reach her, she would just glide away from him, swiftly, just like the water…

Without taking his eyes off her beautiful face, he stood up in the boat which closed to her until it just stopped moving. Merlin and Freya were just standing face to face, Merlin only a few inches taller. The blue eyes and the brown eyes had met each other and refused to part ever again. Merlin was fascinated by these eyes, they were so full of life and love, unlike the last time he had stared so closely into them and had seen the light in them fade away and die. But right now they were just beaming at him and looking at him as though he was the only thing they would ever look at.

"Merlin", she said, and his heart jumped when he heard her voice so close to him. "I've missed you."

"Freya", he whispered, his voice a little choked with emotion.

And next thing he knew, she was in her arms, and he was holding her against him. How wonderful this felt, every little sensation, including his lips on her smooth hair, and her hands on his arms…He would never let go. Never.

They just remained like this for seconds, and then, Freya put a hand on his cheek. Her touch felt like refreshing water stroking his skin softly.

"I didn't think I'd see you again", she said, her smile larger.

Merlin smiled back at her.

"I will never stop wanting to see you. I miss you."

"I miss you, too", she said.

And they kissed, and Merlin would have wanted to forget the world, forget everybody else in this world. Right now, it was just him and Freya.

When they parted again, she asked:"But you have come to me for another reason, didn't you?"

He sighed. He didn't want to think again of why he had come –the only thing that mattered now what that she was with him again.

"Yes", he said. "I have to give you something. I don't know who else I can trust with it."

He picked up the Cup of Life and showed it to her. She stared at it gravely.

"I know why you have brought it with you", she said. "Have no worry. I will look after it. I promise."

He couldn't believe he was going to have to leave her. After all this time missing each other…this just couldn't happen again…

Without even realizing it, Merlin took her hands and pulled her in the boat. Her feet emerged from the water, splashing it away, and the both of them found themselves in the boat.

"Merlin!" she said, gazing at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you with me", he said, and he beamed at her as his eyes flashed gold and the boat gained speed and slid on the water towards the shore.

"Merlin, no! You can't!"

He was a bit taken aback by this reaction.

"I'm tired of missing you", he said. "I'm tired of not being able to be with you. Don't you want to be with me?"

"Merlin", she said, looking as though he had said something that hurt her. His arms were around her; she straightened up to look at him. "I want that more anything. I just –it's not possible. I belong to the lake of Avalon."

"And I belong with you", Merlin replied as though completing her sentence.

"Please, listen-"

But Merlin didn't want to listen. He was just so happy, he didn't care what other obstacles the world and destiny placed between him and Freya. He loved her and now, whether the lake of Avalon wanted it or not, they were really going to be together.

The boat touched the shore. Merlin jumped out of the boat and helped Freya out of it. She took a few reluctant steps to the woods.

Merlin's heartfelt lighter than ever. He couldn't remember feeling so happy, not even when he and Freya had been making plans to escape together. Now Freya was back. She was real; he could feel her in his arms, her hands in his. They were going to be together. He was going to be with her; that was all he could have wished for.

But they hadn't made three steps away from the lake when Freya suddenly collapsed in his arms.

A hand of panic clutched Merlin's heart and squeezed it.

"Freya!" he screamed, kneeling down next and holding her in his arms."

She looked up at him. The memory of the last time this had happened hit him with the force of a wave slamming against a rock, and his hands shook at this thought.

"Freya", he whispered.

Her lips moved feebly. "I tried to tell you…I don't belong to this world…to _your _world. I am the Lady of the Lake. If…if I'm too far from the lake…I become dead again. I am going to die."

"No", Merlin repeated, "no, no…you're not going to die…"

He felt like he was going to go mad with grief as tears blinded him. This couldn't be happening. Freya couldn't die. He couldn't lose her. _Not again, not again, please, not again…_

He looked in every direction, looking for a solution, for something, anything to help-

And his eyes fell on the boat.

He didn't even realize what he was doing; he jumped to the boat, grabbed the Cup of Life, dived it in the lake, and hurried back to Freya's side and poured the water between her weak lips.

Freya's eyelids shuddered, and for a terrible moment he thought he hadn't done it. But then, life seemed to return slowly to her. She smiled shyly at Merlin, and he breathed again. Almost laughing with relief, he helped her on her feet.

"I can't go any further, Merlin", she said, and if she was smiling, the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I don't belong to the world of the living. I belong to the lake of Avalon. If I walk away from it again, I will die for good."

Merlin nodded. He tried to tell himself that it was better that way, that it was how it was meant to be, but irritation kept tormenting him. He wiped a tear away from his eye.

"I'm sorry I put your life in danger", he said.

She stared at him. "Merlin, you have nothing to be sorry for. If I could come with you, I would. Believe me. I would give anything to be with you again. But this isn't how we are meant to be."

There was a lump in Merlin's throat. He swallowed, determined not to cry. He held out the Cup of Life.

"Will you look after it for me?"

She took the Cup and gazed intensely at him. "I will."

Merlin nodded slowly.

"Thank you."

She smiled, and he looked at this smile he loved, wishing it would never go away.

"No. Thank you for allowing me to see you again."

She was about to go away from him, to leave him again. He seized her hand. "I will come back", he said, and he had never been so sincere in his life. "I will see you again, Freya."

She squeezed his hand. Her smile was a little tearful.

"I love you", she whispered.

He tried to smile.

"I love you too."

He pulled her hand to him and kissed her again. None of them wanted to let go.

They could have kissed for days and weeks; when they parted, it felt like it had only been a second. Without taking her eyes off Merlin, she backed away from her love, her feet sliding into the water. Merlin held his hand until the very last moment when he had to let go of her fingers. She was walking back into the lake, gliding away from him without turning her back on him, one hand around the Cup of Life, the other held out as if trying to reach Merlin's, who hadn't lowered his hand either.

Freya had reached the middle of the lake when the sun suddenly appeared behind the mountains. Its blinding light streamed down the lake, rebounding in millions of diamonds on the surface of the lake, and Merlin had to narrow his eyes to avoid the sunrays; by the time he opened them again, however, Freya was gone.

For a moment, Merlin just remained there, watching the place where she had disappeared, hoping his love would come back. But she didn't. The sunrays were all over the place, but the lake looked somehow less glistening, less bright now that she was gone. He suddenly noticed there was a tear rolling down his cheek.

Finally, when he felt there was no more point staying there, he walked slowly away from the steps.

"You will see me again, Freya", he whispered. "I promise."

And with one last look, he left the lake of Avalon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Mordred didn't focus on where he was heading, all into the happiness of having the Cup of Life. He had done it, he had retrieved it, and nothing had stood on his way, not even Emrys or one of his meaningless allies.

He stared at the sky. It was a good day, the sky was blue, with a few clouds here and there, but Mordred didn't care. All that mattered now was that he had the item needed to gain power. He and Morgana would be almighty.

Morgana was waiting for him in the courtyard of the fortress of Beltane. Her eyes shone with greed and excitement when she saw him.

"Have you got it?" she whispered as he got down from horse.

The young man triumphantly revealed the Cup of Life in his hand.

Morgana's eyes widened. She took it with both hands and held it, admiring it.

"Camelot is ours this time", she said, smiling to her ally. "You have done well, Mordred."

He smirked back at her. "Is our army ready?"

"It will be soon enough", Morgana replied. "Alined is on his way from his castle with more troops. He should arrive by tomorrow. And when he does…"

Mordred and Morgana exchanged glances. They understood each other.

"Are you sure you weren't followed?" she asked.

"Yes, Morgana."

"Good. And…what about Gareth and Elaine?"

A little smile played on Mordred's lips.

"Emrys protects them", he replied.

"I see. Can you see no way of getting rid of them?"

"Emrys would not let me", Mordred explained. "I have tried to kill them during the night, but Emrys stopped me. But I am sure they could be somehow useful to us. Emrys clearly cares about them."

Morgana thought about this. Then an idea came to her. She smiled cruelly at the only thought of it.

"Are you sure they are back in Camelot?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Do you think they know of this place?"

"It is possible. Why?"

Morgana sniggered. "Well", she hissed, "why don't we just _let_ _them come_ to me?"

* * *

"How did they get it?" Arthur asked furiously.

"Obviously, your keys were stolen and used to get in the vaults", Gaius explained. "I found them still on the gate of the vaults."

It was nearly midday, and Arthur was sitting on the throne, his jaw clenched, listening to Gaius as the physician told him about the stolen Cup of Life. Gwen was sitting by his side, and looked very concerned. Merlin stood slightly behind the King, on Arthur's right, and had the greatest difficulty keeping his face straight, especially since Mordred was in the room, too.

Arthur mulled over the new information for a few seconds.

"Any hint as to where the Cup might be?" he asked. "Has anybody heard anything…?"

"I'm afraid not, Sire", Gaius replied, watching the King from under his brows.

Arthur took a deep breath. "Very well. Sir Leon?" The knight took a step forwards. "Have searching parties sent in the entire kingdom", he said. "The Cup of Life has to be found. We cannot allow our enemies to get it."

"Yes, Sire", Leon replied.

"You may go."

The knights of Camelot, including Mordred, followed Leon out of the room. Merlin noticed that the boy showed no emotion and couldn't help thinking he was better than Morgana; he was sure Morgana couldn't have restrained herself from smirking, had she been in similar situation.

Everybody went out until Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Gaius were the only ones left. Arthur stood up and headed for the little table behind a pillar and helped himself with a cup of wine.

"Do you think Morgana is responsible for this theft?" he asked, as Gwen hurried beside him.

"We have no evidence, but I think she is", Gaius replied gravely. "Morgana is the only one whom I think would be so eager to get the Cup of Life."

"But how could she do it? She would have been, had she tried to sneak into the vaults…"

"She is a powerful witch, Sire", Gaius said.

"But still…she managed to steal my keys, which means she would have had to get into my chambers, wouldn't she? At midnight…somebody would have seen her", Arthur insisted.

Gaius and Merlin glanced at each other behind Arthur. They were both wondering the same thing. Finally, Merlin gave Gaius a quick nod.

"Sire, I think in the present situation, the only possible solution is that there is a traitor in Camelot", the physician said.

Arthur hardened. Merlin knew this wasn't easy for Arthur to hear that once again, someone in his entourage had betrayed him for Morgana. Merlin and Gaius had hesitated about mentioning Mordred, but Merlin thought that this would be too much for Arthur to take, after living the same thing with his half-sister and his uncle.

Arthur took a deep breath and turned to face Merlin, Gwen and Gaius.

"Very well. The three of you are the only persons I know are _not_ traitors and will never be. So I'm asking you not to speak about this conversation to anyone. Let the traitor think he is not suspected…but be all very careful about what you say, and to who you say it."

Merlin's face was straight, but his eyes were sparkling with joy. There was a time where Arthur would have blamed him for allowing the keys to be stolen. But there he was, now, telling him that he trusted him and knew he couldn't be the traitor. This meant more to Merlin than he could ever tell him.

Well, on second thought, maybe Arthur didn't blame him because he remembered it was he who had sent Merlin away the previous night.

"I won't say a word, don't worry", Gwen said, placing a hand on her husband's arm.

"You can trust me, Sire", Gaius said.

Arthur turned to Merlin, waiting for him to say something.

"Yes, Sire", he just said, trying not to smile too much.

Arthur nodded too.

"You can go."

Gaius left. Gwen waited.

"I'll join you later", Arthur muttered in her ear.

Hardly repressing a smile, the Queen left too. When she disappeared in the corridor, Arthur buried his head in his hands and rubbed the sides of his nose. Merlin thought he heard him mumble something like 'Just what I needed…'

"Thank you", he said. Arthur turned and stared at him. "What you said…that you trusted us. That meant a lot."

"Well", Arthur shrugged, "it's obvious you can't be a traitor. Who would want such an idiot for a spy?"

"Oh, I don't need to spy for anyone", Merlin smiled. "You're such a clotpole, I'd just have to go on holiday for a day and you'd get yourself killed the minute I'm gone."

"Well, for an idiotic servant, you've certainly got some nerve", Arthur said, as though admiring of Merlin's nerve. The manservant shrugged.

"You'd get bored if I didn't."

Arthur smiled frankly this time, and then left the room, Merlin at his side.

* * *

Later that day, Arthur was in the middle of a council when someone knocked on the doors and Sir Leon entered.

"What is it, Sir Leon?"

"We have a man here that wishes to speak to you, My Lord", the knight explained.

"I will hear him when the council is over", Arthur said.

"Sire", Sir Leon insisted, "it is important. This is about the Cup of Life."

Arthur straightened on his seat. Behind him, Merlin straightened but the King did not see that. He remembered that the twins had told him about Mordred spreading rumors concerning the whereabouts of the Cup of Life.

"Bring him in", Arthur said.

The doors opened on a man who looked everything like a peasant. His clothes weren't extremely clean, but Merlin observed that his boots were.

"My Lord", the man said nervously. His eyes kept flickering in every direction.

"What do you want to tell me?" Arthur asked.

"I…well", the man was really nervous indeed. "I…I am not sure what I saw, My Lord."

"Just tell me."

"Well…it was a man…I really couldn't describe him, My Lord, I was very far away…and he had a couple of others with him…they were riding and…and I saw the front man holding something that was shining in the sun…so I – I came closer to take a look…"

"What did you see?" Arthur insisted.

The man's eyes flickered.

"I – I think it was the Cup of Life, My Lord…well it looked like it…a golden Cup, My Lord…"

Arthur took his time to register this information.

"Where did you see these riders?"

"Near an old fortress…the – the fortress of Beltane, I think…"

Merlin froze. This was the place where Gareth and Elaine had been imprisoned by Morgana.

Was this man really a spy lying for Mordred? Or had he really seen what he said he had seen?

"When did you see them?" Arthur asked.

"This morning, My Lord…"

Arthur nodded slowly. He addressed Sir Leon. "Take this man away. See to it that he is taken care of, and then send for the searching parties. They left this morning, they can't be very far."

Sir Leon nodded, and took the man out of the room. Merlin scrutinized his face. He showed nothing.

"Merlin?"

Merlin jumped. "Yes, Sire?"

"Get our horses ready. We leave as soon as we have enough knights."

* * *

"The fortress of Beltane?" Elaine jumped. "But that's where-"

"Yeah, I know", Merlin said, and he and the twins exchanged concerned glances.

"But you told us that Mordred had spread rumors about the Cup being on the border!" Elaine said.

"I didn't-"

"No, I mean, you from the future."

"We should come with you this time", Gareth said.

"No, you shouldn't."

"Merlin, Mordred and Morgana will probably be waiting for you! You stand by one against two, and Arthur doesn't even know you can use magic!"

"Yes, and may I remind you that magic's forbidden?" Merlin said. "If the two of you are caught using magic-"

"Arthur's not a fool, if he sees us using magic against Morgana, he'll know we're on his side!"

"Look", Merlin said, standing up in front of the twins, "you don't know what it's like in here, you don't know Arthur. I'm telling you, you can't use magic in front of him! In the best case, he'll banish you; in the worst case he'll execute you!"

"But you'll be able to convince him, won't you?" Gareth said. "If he wants to execute us, you could always tell him that we're on his side."

"Yes", Elaine agreed. "He will listen to you. He always does."

"Listen to me!" Merlin was becoming really angry now. "I don't know how it is in your time, but in here I'm Arthur's manservant, not his – advisor or something! I don't want to have to watch you die!"

He hadn't meant to say it, but the words had slipped out of his mouth. Once again, he came to the realization that it didn't matter he had known the twins for a couple of days; they were his friends. He knew he couldn't bear it if something happened to them. He didn't want to admit the true reason why he didn't want them to come: he was sure they would be Morgana's first target, after having escaped her, and he refused to put them in such danger.

He noticed that the twins didn't look very surprised by what he had said. In fact, they exchanged glances as if to say _There he goes again._

"Merlin", Elaine said firmly, "we're coming with you."

"We came here to kill Morgana and Mordred", Gareth added.

"No. It's too dangerous-"

"We're warlocks", Gareth said. "We can look after ourselves."

Merlin couldn't argue anymore. He looked at the twins' hopeful and determined faces, and gave up.

"All right, you're coming with me."

* * *

This was how, an hour later, Merlin, Arthur, the Knights, Mordred, Gareth and Elaine were all riding to the fortress of Beltane.

As he rode, Merlin couldn't help casting looks behind him. He had managed to keep the twins as far away from Mordred as possible, but they were still too close to the Druid boy. He thought back to the quickly made-up story he had told Arthur about why the twins were coming with them. It hadn't been easy. He could still see Arthur's disbelieving face in his mind, as though convinced Merlin was somehow taking him for an idiot.

"I thought you were supposed to be living in Ealdor?" he had asked.

"That's right", the twins had agreed together.

"So how come now you want to go to relatives living near _the fortress of Beltane?_"

Merlin had intervened. "They've got to –er- see some family that lives there. But it's, er, safer if they ride with us, don't…don't you think?"

For a reasonably long moment, Arthur had seemed to wonder whether Merlin was pulling his leg or not.

"They are not knights of Camelot", he said. "We can't take them to such expeditions…"

"They'll just – er – ride with us", Merlin had assured him. Gareth and Elaine had seen fit to interrupt him.

"We're just going the same direction as you. We will part as soon as you reach the fortress of Beltane."

Arthur had looked extremely suspicious at all this, but finally had let them come. Merlin thought that in Arthur's mind, it was better to just bring these two weird twins along and then be finally rid of them.

The fortress of Beltane looked very much like the castle where Morgause had lit the fires of Idirsholas. It was a lonely castle, or at least what remained of it, that stood in the middle of a forestless area, hiding the sky behind.

"This looks like the place", Gwaine said. "Just the kind of castle where you'd see Morgana crouching and plotting."

"Unless we stop her, she won't just stop at plotting", Arthur said.

They got down from their horses about fifty feet away from the castle, tied their horses down to make sure they would still be there when they came back, and started walking to the fortress of Beltane.

Arthur seemed to have forgotten about the twins, which was fortunate. They had been almost totally silent since their departure from Camelot, and were now following silently the Knights of Camelot from behind. Merlin suspected them of having cast a spell on them to stop anyone from hearing their footsteps, perhaps even make themselves invisible to anyone without magic. This possibility was the most likely, because apart from Merlin and Mordred, nobody seemed to have noticed that Gareth and Elaine were still with them.

They reached the courtyard that had clearly been abandoned for years. Arthur spotted an entrance hidden under lots of ivy.

One by one, Arthur, the knights, Mordred, Merlin, Gareth and Elaine entered the fortress of Beltane.

They found themselves in a long, dark corridor where the only light came from outside. The more they walked, the darker the corridor became. They worked for what seemed like half an hour until finally they came to the end of it and had to turn on their left. It took them to a larger corridor with lit torches all along the wall, and several doors on the side.

Arthur pulled out his sword. Everybody around him mirrored him, except Merlin, who wasn't carrying any sword, and Elaine, who wasn't either, except she had a bow and arrows.

Suddenly, coming out of nowhere, a gale of wind swept past the corridor, turning out all the torchlight.

Arthur stopped dead, tensed, his sword ready, but nothing else came, except that they were now in the dark.

"Let's try this door", Arthur's voice whispered in the dark.

They heard a door opening, and a faint light appeared on one side of the corridor. Everybody followed Arthur inside a room.

It was large, wide, with torches hanging on the dark walls and stone pillars. It was probably the only sign of someone living here, because the room was totally empty apart from them and something that must have been a throne once. There was nothing on the stone floor, nothing on the walls. There were no windows, but Merlin noticed other doors on the wall. And he also felt something else, something faint, as if somebody was shouting from very, very far away, and all he could here was a weak echo.

Magic.

"Split up", Arthur whispered. "Merlin, Leon, Elyan –with me. Mordred, Percival, Gwaine, stay here and don't move."

Slowly, Arthur, followed by his manservant and two of his knights, walked to the doors on the wall, trying to make as much less noise as possible.

Merlin was starting to have a bad feeling about this when he heard a voice suddenly echoing in his mind.

_Now!_

It happened very fast.

Merlin span, spotted Mordred's smile behind Gwaine and Percival, the room's roof shuddered, Merlin jumped forward and pushed Gwaine backwards, putting him out of the way of a huge chunk of stone roof that had just fell on the floor.

It was quickly followed by more and more pieces of stone that fell like hailstorm on the floor between the two groups of knights, until finally it was impossible for one to see the other. Merlin jumped backwards and protected himself with his arms, waiting for the rock fall to stop. Eventually, the pieces of ceiling stopped falling.

Arthur almost jumped to the wall made of rocks that now separated him from the rest of his knights.

"Gwaine!" He shouted. "Percival! Mordred! You're all right?"

It took a few seconds before Gwaine's came from behind the rocks: "What do you think?"

Arthur and Merlin breathed again.

"But the ceiling collapsed just in front of the door", Mordred's voice, motionless, came from the other side of the rocks. "We can't get out anymore."

"Stay here and try and find a way out of here", Arthur said. Merlin could say that the King was nervous to have to leave three knights behind, stuck in the room, but they had no choice. The chunks of rocks were piling up too high for anyone to climb, and it might take hours to try to make a way through the rocks.

"All right", Gwaine replied.

Merlin exchanged concerned glances with Gareth and Elaine. He knew the three of them were thinking the same thing right now: what would happen to Gwaine and Percival, now that they were alone with Mordred?

"Are you sure they'll be all right?" Merlin asked Arthur.

The King shrugged, but it was obvious he was just as concerned as Merlin for his knights.

"They're knights", he said. "They will have to. Now come on, we shouldn't stay here. We're here to find the Cup of Life."

There was no other choice. Arthur, Merlin, Leon, Elyan and the hidden Gareth and Elaine opened the first door they found and left the previous one.

They found themselves in front of stairs that were going down, completely dark. Arthur held his sword a little higher and started going down the stairs.

They had no idea where they were going. The stairs led them to another dark corridor, which they followed until they had to turn on their right.

Merlin kept checking that the twins were still behind him every few minutes. They had taken a few steps in the corridor when he heard the beginning of a scream behind him. He turned around.

He barely had time to see four dark figures jumping on Gareth and Elaine, covering their mouths with their hands and dragging them in what seemed to be the wall.

"No!" he shouted.

He jumped forward, trying to hold the twins back, but it was too late; they had disappeared.

He stood there, frozen, horrified; if Morgana had taken them once again…

"Arthur!" he shouted.

The King turned around.

"What's wrong, Merlin!"

"There's something in there!"

"What do you mean?"

Merlin pointed at the wall where the twins had vanished.

"I think I just saw someone there", he said.

"Merlin, there's nobody there."

"They vanished! Arthur, we need to get in there, there must be some kind of secret door!"

"This could be a trap, Arthur", Leon said.

Merlin was desperate. If he didn't convince Arthur to get in there, he would have no chance to rescue Gareth and Elaine. Fortunately, Arthur said: "If there is somebody in there, it might take us to the Cup of Life. We have to follow any sign we can find."

The four of them walked carefully to the place Merlin had pointed. The manservant took a step closer and ran his hand on the wall.

"It was somewhere around-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence; he felt something move under his foot, and then heard a creaking, and next thing he knew he heard a loud rattling noise above him and something grabbed his arm and pushed him forward.

A stone door had somehow fallen down from the ceiling, leaving Merlin and Arthur on one side, Elyan and Leon on the other side.

"Arthur!" Elyan's voice called behind the door.

"Are you all right?" Leon's voice asked.

Merlin looked at Arthur. He knew it was the King that had pushed him forward to stop the door crushing on him, but he was beginning to hope he hadn't: if only he had been alone, he could have gone and looked for the twins on his own, but now, with Arthur by his side, he could no longer do so.

"We're all right!" the King shouted. "We'll try and find the Cup of Life. The two of you stay here and try to open that door! There has to be a way!"

"What if the Cup is on our side of the door?" Leon asked.

"Don't split up, all right? Just try and open that door, we'll worry about the Cup later!"

Leon and Elyan agreed.

Arthur glanced at Merlin.

"Looks like we're on our own now", the King said.

"I guess so", Merlin muttered. He was getting really worried about Gareth and Elaine.

Arthur took a deep breath.

"All right, just try to stop your knees from knocking into each other, all right? Every noise makes me nervous."

"Then why don't you just stop talking?" Merlin suggested. As usual, he was cheekier and curter when he was under stress.

"Good point", Arthur muttered. "Ready? Let's go."

And they started making their way into what looked like yet another corridor.

They walked for what looked like forever. Merlin was extremely nervous. Every single noise sent cold sweat in his back. He could tell that Arthur was on his guards too.

Finally, as they arrived to a dead end, Arthur pushed open a door.

The first thing they saw made Merlin's heart beat twice as faster.

They were in another very large room, with torchlight and even a lit chimney. There was no window in there. It also had stone pillars all along it, and in the middle of it twelve seats were put in a circle. On two of them, somebody was tied down.

It was Gareth and Elaine.

They both had gags on their mouths, and they no longer had their weapons with them, but otherwise they seemed fine. When they saw Merlin and Arthur, however, their eyes widened in terror and muffled noises came from under the gags. They shook their heads in unison, and within a second, Merlin heard two horrified voices booming in his mind: _It's a trap! RUN!_

Everything happened very quickly; the mental message, Arthur staring in surprise at the sight of the twins, and then a sly voice echoed in the room: "Welcome, dear brother."

Merlin and Arthur span towards the place where the voice had come from.

Morgana was walking to them, smirking.

"You", Arthur whispered when he saw her.

As usual, Merlin noticed the flash of pain in his blue eyes at the sight of his half-sister.

"It's been so long", Morgana said, her smirk definitely in place. "Did you think much about me for the last year?"

Arthur didn't reply. His jaw had hardened.

For a brief moment, Morgana's eyes flickered from Arthur to Merlin. When he saw her green eyes, he was almost shocked by what he saw.

Hatred. It was hatred like he had never seen in her before. It was not like he wasn't familiar with a full of hatred Morgana; but this time it was beyond hatred.

Her eyes were _accusing _him.

Morgana's eyes set back on Arthur. Her grin had not moved at all.

"I've been looking forward to a little chat with you, my dear brother", she carried on. "That's why I brought our little guests here-"she pointed to Gareth and Elaine, both petrified on their seats "-I knew it was the best way to get you to come and speak to me. They have played their part very well, I must say."

Arthur stared at the twins, then back to Morgana. His voice was straight when he said: "Let them go, Morgana. They have nothing to do with us."

"Oh, how wrong you are", Morgana sniggered, and she shook her head. "There's so much you do not know, Arthur Pendragon, so much you think you understand…but you are wrong. You've always been."

"You didn't always think that, did you?" Arthur said. "You used to think I was a good man. You even called me a better man than my father."

Morgana's face darkened. Her smile faded and there was a hint of anger in her voice when she spoke.

"It looks like I was wrong, too. You are no different from Uther after all. At least not as much as you'd like to believe it. Yes, I thought you were the better man, but that was a long time ago. I've changed. I have seen what you do to my kind…what you would have done to me."

"What do you think I would have done to you?" Arthur asked his voice still under control.

A little laugh escaped Morgana's lips, but she didn't smile.

"Do I really need to tell you? You have killed so many of my kind, Arthur Pendragon. I wouldn't have been any different."

Arthur stared at her, as though trying to see right through his former friend.

"Do you really think that?"

To Merlin's surprise, something changed in Morgana's face; for less than a second, her eyes were no longer hateful, the corner of her lips were no longer hardened in anger; for a very quick moment, it looked like the old Morgana was back, like he was looking at the Morgana who had come bursting into Gaius's chambers late in the night, frightened and confused because she thought she had magic.

But this lasted less than a second. Next moment, the cruel line around her mouth was back, as was the hatred in her eyes.

"Yes, I really think that."

She had spat the words like venom. Arthur took in, and something appeared in his eyes, too, as if he was sorry for Morgana. It was sadness.

"Then I am not the only one who's always been wrong", he replied.

Morgana was breathing louder. It seemed she was trying to keep calm. Her smile came back.

"Maybe not", she said. "But it doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is that you are currently sitting on _my_ throne, Arthur Pendragon."

"Blood isn't the only thing that makes one worthy of a throne", Arthur said, and this really surprised Merlin; he had never heard Arthur speaking this way before. He knew that he had been taught that his birth made him special. "I've learnt that sometimes you've got to fight to deserve it."

Merlin tried to hold back a smile, but his pride could probably be seen in his eyes. Seeing Arthur claiming that one had to prove his value to be worthy of the throne was saying something, in comparison with the old Arthur, the arrogant Arthur, convinced that everything was owing to him just because of how he'd been born.

"Then that is exactly what we shall do", Morgana said, and Merlin looked back at her; there was a wild joy on her face; obviously everything was going on as planned. "We shall fight and see who is the most worthy of the throne of Camelot. And the fight shall be to the death this time."

Arthur nodded slowly. "So that's why you brought me here? To challenge me into a fight for Camelot?"

Morgana's smile grew larger. "Exactly."

Arthur didn't speak for a moment. Merlin stared at him and noticed that the twins' eyes were flickering between Morgana and Arthur. Morgana was just smirking. She and Merlin both knew Arthur; they both knew what his answer would be. She didn't even need to try and persuade him. And after a moment, it came.

"I accept your challenge", he said.

Morgana took a deep breath. Merlin knew the expression she was sporting now; it was the same as when she had first sat on the throne of Camelot, a few years ago. She was, as always, confident she had already won.

"When will the battle take place?" Arthur asked.

"How about in three days?" Morgana said, but Merlin and Arthur knew she was leaving them no choice.

"All right", Arthur said. "Where?"

"The Plain of Camlann", Morgana said, her smirk more than self-sufficient now. "It should do."

"All right", Arthur said again; it was only because Merlin knew him so well he could work out what Arthur was thinking. His face was almost completely straight.

"An hour before sunset", Morgana added.

Arthur nodded.

Morgana's eyes were now gleaming in excitement.

"You will _really_ meet your death this time, Arthur Pendragon", she said, her voice a little lower. "It's time Camelot gets the ruler it deserves."

"Yes, it is", Arthur answered.

Morgana sniggered. "We will see each other in three days, then", she said. "_Bedyrne me, astyre me thaonweard!"_

Morgana's eyes flashed gold, and in a whirlwind of black, she disappeared.

* * *

**I hope you liked it and that nobody's out of character. Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

**Thanks again for you reviews, it's really great from you guys. So here's neext chapter, sorry it took a while to update, but I've been really busy lately. I really don't know when I'll update again, might take some time. I'll do my best but I'm going to be really busy for the next weeks. Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy, and please review when you're finished!  
**

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" Arthur asked furiously as they untied the twins from their seats.

Elaine took off her gag and shrugged. "Morgana caught us when you all entered the fortress. We were about to go away, and then her men jumped on us and brought us down here."

"But why did she think she could lure me in here by kidnapping you? No offence, but we're not that close."

The twins shrugged again, as if they had no idea.

"Well, anyway, it's over now", Arthur said. "Once we get out of here, you'll be on your way."

"No!" The twins screamed together.

"We'll stay!" Elaine said.

"We will fight with you!" Gareth added.

Arthur, who was already heading out of the room, turned around and stared at them as if he had never heard anything so dumb.

"Don't be stupid, why would you want to fight with us? You're from Ealdor, aren't you?"

The twins hesitated.

"Well…yes, but…we've got, let's say, an old quarrel with Morgana", Elaine said.

Arthur frowned. "How's that?"

"She killed our father. Her and-"Elaine just had time to catch Merlin's warning eye "-an ally. She killed our father, and most of our friends."

"If you're to fight her, we'd like to stay and fight with you", Gareth added. "Please. You have no idea what Morgana did to us."

Arthur was frowning even hardier now. He looked extremely confused, but Merlin knew that the twins' arguments had affected him. He could tell that Arthur understood what it meant to have lost a father and to want revenge for it.

"All right", he said after a least a couple of minutes. "If you want to stay and fight, that's your decision. But I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Believe us, we know", Gareth said confidently.

"If anybody should know not to underestimate Morgana, it would be us", Elaine added. "And believe me; you're going to need all the help you can get."

Arthur looked like he was going to laugh about this. "Well I'm glad I have you two by my side then", he teased. Obviously he had missed the point of having two fifteen-year-old for allies. "Merlin?"

Merlin quickly followed Arthur. Gareth and Elaine hurried after them. Merlin slowed down a little to let the twins catch up with him.

"You shouldn't have followed us", Elaine whispered.

"Sorry for trying to find out what happened to you after disappearing in a piece of wall", Merlin retorted.

"Well, at least now we've got some real occasion to be rid of Morgana and Mordred…I guess", Gareth said.

They reached the end of the corridor the moment Elyan and Leon managed to lift the heavy stone door enough for Merlin, Arthur, Gareth and Elaine to slid under and get out.

Elyan and Leon looked relieved to see their King and his manservant, then stared suspiciously at the twins.

"What are they doing here?" Leon asked.

"Morgana kidnapped them to make me come in there", Arthur replied as he started making his way out of the tunnel. "Don't ask why."

"Morgana?" Elyan repeated. "You saw her? She's in there?"

Merlin noticed the knight's hand clutching his sword.

"Yes, she was in there", Arthur replied without looking at Elyan. He didn't look quite right: he had the closed face he sported when he didn't want anybody to know what was going on in his feelings. "But not anymore."

"Wait, you let her escape?" Leon asked in disbelief.

"Actually, it was more _her_ that let _us_ escape", Merlin corrected.

"But what did she want with you if she let you go?"

Arthur looked his knights straight into the eyes for the first time.

"She has declared war on us."

Leon and Elyan's eyes widened. Arthur stared at them silently for a moment before walking again.

"We fight in three days in the Plain of Camlann", he said. "We need to get back to Camelot as soon as possible."

Leon and Elyan were still under shock from the news. Gareth and Elaine kept quiet but kept glancing on each other so intensely Merlin was sure they were using communicating using telepathy. As for him, he was walking, quietly, next to Arthur.

They reached the end of the corridor and climbed the stairs to get back to the upper level and found themselves again in the large room where they had left Gwaine, Percival and Mordred. They had managed to shift most of the rocks blocking the door but were now dealing with a particularly huge piece of ceiling.

"Gwaine!" Arthur called. "Percival! Mordred!"

"Arthur!" came Gwaine's voice from the other side of the rock wall, and the knight's head peered behind a large gap they had managed to create shifting the rocks. "You're all right?"

"Fine, but we can't move that big rock there", he pointed at it, "even if we're three on it. Could you give us a hand?"

With the combined efforts of Arthur, Merlin, Elyan, Leon, Percival, Mordred and Gwaine, they finally managed to move aside the large rock that stopped them from getting out of the room. Merlin was hugely relieved to see that Percival and Gwaine were safe; he had been imagining the worse, thinking about them locked with Mordred.

The young Druid seemed his usual self; calm, quiet and mysterious. He merely smiled when he saw Arthur and Merlin; however, his eyes shone with anger when he noticed the twins walking behind the lot. Merlin wondered what he had thought Morgana would do to them. Whatever it was, he was glad she hadn't actually done it to them.

"Did you find anything interesting?" Gwaine asked, panting, when they pushed away big rocks to open the door.

"Indeed", Arthur said.

"The Cup of Life?" Percival asked.

"No, just Morgana", Merlin said.

The knights froze.

"Where is she?" Percival asked.

"She's gone", Arthur answered, walking past the opened door in the corridor. "But not before she declared war on Camelot."

Bewildered, the knights followed Arthur outside. The king's face was straight and closed. Together, they hurried out of the fortress of Beltane and rode back to Camelot.

* * *

"If Morgana is so confident about her challenge, then she must have an army ready already. I want every knight of Camelot preparing for war for the next two days. The Plain of Camlann is less than a day riding. We leave on the third day at dawn. We will camp there and train until the very last moment. We have three days to get ourselves ready to fight what will most likely be an extremely powerful army. Do you understand?"

The knights nodded.

Arthur was sitting on his throne, facing what looked like the whole of Camelot's knights. Merlin didn't know half of them. The moment they had been back to Camelot, and after Arthur had hugged Gwen, he had had them reunited by Leon. Mordred was among them. His face showed nothing. Merlin was standing next to Arthur's throne, and a clear vision of the whole room. The knights looked extremely determinate. His eyes travelled to Gaius, who was standing next to a pillar on the opposite side of the room; then to Gwen, sitting on Arthur's left. They looked as usual in this kind of situation, Gaius, grave and serious; Gwen, nervous and concerned.

"We have until the day after tomorrow to prepare what we need for the battle –weapons, of course, sets of armors, supplies…I want you all to start packing for the journey tonight. But tomorrow…" Arthur took a deep breath, "tomorrow we start training. Every strength, every inch of courage and bravery you have, you must put in this training. For that is what the battle to come will require from you: no weakness. In three days, we fight for what is right, for what makes the knights of Camelot valuable and just, for freedom and honor." He stared at the crowd in front of him. Something had changed in his eyes, as if a dark, hard fire had been lit in them. "In three days we fight for Camelot."

He stood up. Merlin looked at him. Arthur had been king for a couple of years now; he had seen him taking lead of a little group of survivors and risking the impossible to take Camelot back or die trying. But this was different. This time it was an entire army waiting for Arthur's orders. This time it was hundreds of men who were ready to give their lives for something they believed in, and that was Arthur had to be: their leader. A leader they believed in.

"Will you join me?" Arthur said.

Nobody spoke. Then Leon, who was standing first line right in front of Arthur, in the middle of Gwaine, Elyan and Percival (and unfortunately Mordred), pulled out his sword and held it high, but he wasn't exactly using it as a sign for everybody to follow; it looked more like he was presenting it to Arthur. Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Mordred imitated him. Then, in what sounded like a metal wave, all the knights in the room drew out their swords, mirroring Leon's move to present it to Arthur.

"Long live the King!" Leon cried.

"Long live the King!" the knights screamed behind him. "Long live the King!"

Arthur stared down at his knights. Merlin knew exactly what he was thinking; he would lead them to war and fight on their side, if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

* * *

Merlin walked back to Gaius's chambers feeling immensely proud of what Arthur had done. Gareth and Elaine jumped on their feet when he came in.

"So that's it?"

"They're preparing for war?"

He nodded. The twins' made grave faces.

"We're going to spend the next three days training", he told them.

"Even you?" Gareth asked.

"What do you mean?"

"In our future, you never practice sword with Arthur and the others. You always fight using magic."

"I'll have to make do without magic this time", Merlin said. "I don't think now's the right time to tell Arthur about my magic."

"But then, how do you plan to help them?" Gareth pointed. "Without you, they're no match for Morgana."

Merlin hesitated, and then someone knocked on the door.

They froze. Then Merlin pointed to his room's door with his chin, in a move that meant _Get in there, quick._

Gareth and Elaine hurried in Merlin's room and closed the door. Merlin opened the door.

It was Gwen.

"Hello, Merlin", she said, smiling, but somehow the smile didn't reach her brown eyes.

"Come in", he said, stepping aside to let her in. "Gaius is in the Lower Town for a patient."

"And you're not with him?" Gwen asked.

"He said he didn't need me. Well, actually he said I was supposed to clean the room", he added, grinning.

Gwen laughed too as she took a look around; the room was just as messy as usual, with its bottles and books and herbs and flasks covering every available inch of table and shelf.

"Is there anything you wanted?" Merlin asked, closing the door.

Gwen didn't immediately reply. She sat down on a bench. Merlin sat next to her. She looked anxious and in her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

Gwen sighed and shrugged, trying to smile.

"I guess I'm just worried about all this."

Merlin nodded.

"You'll be safe here", Merlin said.

"I'm not worried about me", she replied.

"But I am."

She took a deep breath and looked towards the ceiling.

"It's still hard to believe that Morgana has declared war on us, you know. I still remember her before all this. When we were friends."

Merlin sighed and looked away. Gwen had touched a nerve. A very sensitive nerve –more sensitive than she thought.

"She was the best friend I ever had", Gwen whispered. "I still wonder what could have changed her that way. What changed her so much she wanted to kill Arthur and me?"

Merlin didn't want to talk. Whatever he would say, he knew he would be lying –because he could never reveal Gwen exactly _what_ had convinced Morgana that her friends were no longer such. Finally, he chose something that was partially true.

"It was Morgause", he said. "Morgause was her sister. She had a great influence on her."

"I know, but…after she disappeared for a year…when I looked at her again…she just wasn't the same, Merlin. She didn't have the same look on her face. She didn't act the same towards me. It was like the old Morgana I had known was gone."

Merlin kept quiet. He knew all too well what Gwen meant. And it pained him so much.

"Could one person really change someone so deeply?"

_Not one, but two_, Merlin thought darkly. _A friend that turned into an enemy, and a stranger who turned into a friend._

"Morgana chose her path", Merlin said, extracting the words out of his mouth with all his strengths. "There's nothing any of us can do to change that. There was a lot of anger in her, and it ate her from inside until she changed completely."

"Anger?" Gwen repeated, with what sounded like sorrow in her voice. "But to who? To me? To you? To Arthur? She tried to have me killed, Merlin. And she didn't care that Arthur would suffer in the process. It's not something you forget easily, Merlin."

Gwen pressed her lips, as if trying to swallow back tears. Merlin himself felt a lump in his throat. He blinked, wishing Gwen would spare him and talk about something else. But she did not. She looked down at her knees.

"That look", she said, "on your best friend's face, watching as you're being taken to your death-"Merlin closed his eyes shut "-and you see her _smiling_…I could never forget that, Merlin."

Merlin wet his lips. "Yes", he whispered, "I know."

They didn't talk for a moment. Then Merlin said: "But the point is you survived."

This had at least the effect to make the shining wet in her eyes vanish.

"Yes", she said. "And I still don't know how. Arthur told me that an old man had claimed he had enchanted us to make us fall in love, to bring shame on Camelot, and that that man escaped the day of his execution. But I've always found that –strange."

"Really?" Merlin asked, trying to hold back the smile playing on his lips. "Why?"

"I don't know", Gwen said, "but…don't you find it strange? Arthur and I weren't under a spell, you know it. Why did that man say that then? Why did he take the blame? It was none of his concern."

"Maybe it was", Merlin suggested. "We can't know that."

"But how could it be?" Gwen said, shaking her head and staring at him. "Arthur described him to me, and I am sure I don't know him at all. Why would a total stranger almost get himself killed for something he hasn't done?"

Merlin couldn't help the thought that Gwen was cleverer than Arthur. Arthur had always been heartedly convinced that Dragoon was evil, even before what had happened with Uther, and hadn't stopped for one moment and noticed that, far from causing anyone any harm, the old sorcerer had saved Gwen's life. But then again, he reminded himself, Arthur was naturally warier about sorcerers than most people; he had only seen a sorcerer trying to put fake evidence in his room and admitting to having cast a spell that had almost cost Gwen her life. He had paid no attention to the fact that it was thanks to him that Gwen hadn't been executed, and that Dragoon obviously couldn't be guilty himself since he, better than anyone, knew that his feelings for Gwen were real.

As he thought about it, an idea shaped in Merlin's mind, a crazy, quite risky idea. It looked pretty mad, actually, but it almost seemed able to create wonders if it worked.

But he couldn't express his new hope in front of Gwen.

"This man probably had his reasons", Merlin said. "We may never find about it."

"I know", Gwen said, "I just wish I was able to meet him. I'd like to know why he did this…and I'd like to thank him."

Merlin stared at her.

"You want to thank him?"

"Of course I want to! No matter whom he is or what he did or why he did it, he saved my life."

"Yeah", Merlin muttered, looking away.

They remained quiet for another few seconds, than Gwen said: "I wish this war could be avoided."

If she had no tears in her eyes, there were definitely some in her voice.

"I know."

"Not just because of Morgana", the Queen added, "but because…well…" she looked down at her belly, which was beginning to get slightly swollen, and sighed. "If Arthur dies at war…before he even knows his child…"

"He's not going to die", Merlin said, and he had never believed so much in what he was saying. "I'll look after him."

Gwen made a shy smile. Merlin knew what she was thinking.

"I mean it", he added, grinning too. "I'm stronger than I look."

This extracted a little laugh out of her. "I'm sure you are."

She put her brown eyes in his. "You're a great friend, Merlin."

"I'm not sure Arthur would agree", he joked. "He'd say I'm just a bumbling idiot."

She laughed. "No, he wouldn't", she smiled.

Merlin smiled back at her. Gwen stood up and headed for the door.

"Gwen?" he said, as she was already half out the door.

She turned around. "Yes?"

He chose his words carefully. "What you said about this sorcerer…did you mean it? Would you really like to meet him?"

"Well, yes, I mean…I'd like to, but – obviously it's never going to happen", she replied. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Just asking."

She seemed all right with his answer and smiled to him. "Goodnight, Merlin."

"Goodnight, Gwen."

She closed the door behind her.

Merlin almost ran to his room and burst in it to find Gareth and Elaine sitting on his bed.

"What's going on?" Gareth asked. "You look mad."

Merlin thought he probably did; the idea that had taken shape in his mind felt like fever growing through his body.

"I've got an idea", he said.

* * *

Alined was angry. His eyes were burning darkly.

"I thought we were supposed to be allies?" he grunted furiously with his bitter voice. "And here I come and I find out you have planned a battle with Arthur and agreed on the day and the place, without even bothering to tell me!"

"Why so angry, My Lord?" Morgana asked, perfectly calm, a smug smirk on her face. "I have got you what you wanted. We are going to fight against Camelot. Isn't that what you were hoping for?"

"I was hoping _we_ would agree on the time and place before declaring war on Camelot! But apparently you wouldn't bother to keep me informed of these decisions. You seem to take much for granted, _Milady_."His thin, wrinkled lips spat out words like venom.

"Meaning?" Morgana asked, a brow raised, her smile slightly fading.

"Meaning you do not seem to consider me your ally, Morgana, in fact you seem to think of me as a tool to get what you want, a mere way to provide you with the army you do not have."

Morgana turned around and Alined followed his gaze.

They were in the forest, and Morgana's eyes were looking at the clear where about fifty persons, with a great majority of men, were practicing spells. Some of them were training to magic dueling by groups of two or three; others, sitting alone on the grass, seemed to be using Dark Magic: the air around them shivered in strange, dark figures; others were putting magical protections around deadly weapons.

Alined gulped. Morgana could tell he had understood the message; she had an army of her own.

"You may have powerful sorcerers, Morgana, but Arthur will have hundreds of men behind him. You know as well as I do that you need my men, otherwise you wouldn't have insisted so much on this alliance."

Alined's troops were camping a reasonable distance away from Morgana's sorcerers. Most of them didn't seem really bothered by the magical training session that was currently taking places a few feet from them, but a good part of them didn't look very at ease with the presence of all those sorcerers and were trying not to look at them, or kept casting them wary looks.

"But you _do_ need me too, don't you, Alined?" Morgana asked, the smirk back in place. "I can make your army invincible. You know that, too."

Her eyes flickered to her tent, where they knew the Cup was safely hidden. She had put more than enough protective spells and enchantments around it; the most powerful of her sorcerers would not have dared to try and steal it.

"Once I've made your army immortal, the whole land will be at your feet", Morgana said. "All you have to do is lead your men to war and help me defeat Arthur with their help. I can't see what upsets you in this plan."

"Probably the part where you decide every single one of our moves without even referring me about it", the King retorted.

"I don't think I'm wrong when I say I am the one here who is fittest to decide of our actions in this war, Alined", Morgana said. "We are talking about my brother. I know him…and Mordred knows Emrys. You are doing the right thing trusting us with this war, Alined. Trust me."

"_Trust_ you", Alined mumbled. "_Trust_ you. When _you_ do not even trust _me_."

Morgana raised her eyebrows. "What makes you think that, My Lord?"

"The fact that you tell me nothing about our actions, but decide for all of them", Alined grunted.

"I told you, Alined. If you think you are being treated unfairly, why don't you tell me?"

"Because we are supposed to be _allies_, Morgana. I shouldn't have to tell you. The fact that you have fifty sorcerers behind you doesn't make it up to you to decide how I should be treated."

"I'm afraid it does", Morgana replied.

Before Alined had time to understand what she had just said, she held out her hand and her eyes flashed gold as she said, "_Acwele!"_

Alined's eyes widened. For a second, he seemed to be gasping for air; the corners of his lips turned blue; he froze, and blood deserted his face, until his skin turned plain white and he fell on the ground, at Morgana.

She looked down at her dead ally's body, a smirk playing on her lips. "Are glad you with our alliance now, My Lord?" she teased him with a mocking voice. "It's such a shame you won't be here to witness my victory, however."

She took a deep breath, very pleased with herself, and sent Mordred a mental message: _It is done._

* * *

Merlin knocked on the door, but didn't wait for Arthur to reply before pushing the door open.

"Will you ever learn to knock, Merlin?" was Arthur's way of greeting him.

Merlin ignored him. Strangely enough, his feelings right now were somehow reminding him of that night, almost ten years ago, when he had come to tell Arthur that he was leaving his job forever because he was about to give his life to Nimue on the Isle of the Blessed; He sincerely hoped his idea wouldn't end up with him dying.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

Arthur, who was sitting at his table, didn't immediately answer.

"As good as can be expected", he replied, his voice a little lower.

Merlin took a deep breath.

"I…have to tell you something"

Arthur made a gesture with his hand.

"Go ahead."

Merlin chose his words carefully.

"I…I have to go somewhere. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"Have you come to speak in riddles, Merlin?"

"No, but…I can't tell you where I'll go or when I'll be back. It might take some time, I'm not sure. But I'll be coming back."

""Why are you telling me this now?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged.

"I just thought you ought to know who you've got in your army and who you haven't."

Arthur lifted his head to Merlin, frowning.

"You'll be here for the battle, won't you?"

Merlin half smiled. It was really typical from Arthur, assuming that Merlin would be by his side during the war. Not that Merlin complained about it.

"No. That's what I've been trying to tell you. I can't be with you for the battle."

"And what exactly makes you think you can just go wandering around when your King needs you here for the battle?" Arthur asked as though whatever the answer would be, it would be irrelevant.

"I can't tell you. You'll understand later. But you're wrong. I know Camelot needs me. And I _will_ be helping. Just…in my way."

Merlin took a step closer for Arthur to get a better look of him.

"But believe me, I will do everything I must to help you. To help Camelot. I will die for you if I have to. Even if I can't be around, I will do what I always have. I will protect you. Because I have faith in you, Arthur. I'll be more useful to you if I go and help you the best I can from far away." Merlin put his eyes in Arthur and dived into them, as though hoping that if he stared intensely enough, he would somehow manage to give Arthur some silence message."Trust me."

They remained like this for a moment. Then, after a while, Arthur said:

"Well, if you're so sure you'll be of more use if you're not around…"

"I am", Merlin said.

"Then, go ahead. I guess I can make do without you for a few days."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that", Merlin replied.

"Really?"

Merlin did not really try to hold back his smile. Neither did Arthur.

"Well, if that's all, you may go", the King said.

Merlin turned around and walked to the door. His hand was on it when Arthur said: "Merlin?"

The manservant turned to face Arthur.

"You're not really best than the average servant, Merlin", Arthur began, with the tone Merlin recognized as the one he used to insult Merlin in every possible ways before making him a compliment. "You would even be worse, actually. However…" he hesitated then completed his sentence, "I've grown to quite like things that way. So, hum…wherever you're going, just try not to get lost. And that's an order."

Merlin grinned. "Do you think I'm an idiot or something?"

"Well – it's a possibility."

Merlin laughed. "All right, I won't. And don't be too much of a cabbage head when I'm gone."

Arthur seemed to think about it. "I'll do my best."

Merlin opened the door, made to get out, then turned one last time around.

"Arthur?"

"Yes?"

Merlin stared at Arthur. He wasn't exactly smiling, but his blue eyes were definitely sparkling.

"I won't get lost. Trust me."

And he walked away, leaving a half confused, half amused Arthur in the room.

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**So what's Merlin going to do? You're all wondering...hope you liked it. Somebody else will be joining the band next chapter, somebody I'm sure everybody misses...who can it be? :) please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

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**So here's the next one! Sorry for the long updating, but I really couldn't do it earlier, I've been so busy. I can't promise anything about when I'll update the next one. Anyway, hope you like it, and...review? Please? :D**

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Arthur dropped himself on a chair and buried his face in a hand.

It had been a very long day.

He hadn't forgotten about the fact that Merlin had suddenly decided he wasn't going to be here for the war. He had asked Gaius about it, but the old man had been as elusive as he could be. He had tried to get information out of the mysterious twins, but they claimed Merlin hadn't told them. He had asked around, even if in his heart something told him that if Merlin had told neither Gaius nor him about his destination he hadn't told anyone. The only piece of information he had managed to get had been from Gwen; she had told him she had seen him in the evening, and that he didn't look like he was packing or getting ready for any journey.

But soon enough, he had had to move Merlin from his top priorities; his friend had chosen his actions, and since Gaius didn't look worried about him, Arthur probably shouldn't either. Moreover, he had more on his mind than just his manservant acting a bit strange.

If someone had ever told him what would happen this day, he would never have believed it. But now, sitting in his room as the night fell on Camelot, he had to admit it: he had allied with sorcerers.

He hadn't seen it coming at all. He had just finished getting dressed, after eating a wonderful breakfast served by George, appointed to replace Merlin, when Sir Leon had burst in his chambers and told him that there was a man in the courtyard who was asking for an audience with the King. Arthur had asked who, but Sir Leon had assured him that he should come down and see for himself. And so he had.

When he was finally sat on his throne, Guinevere next to him, the doors of the room had opened on an old man with long, white hair and beard, wearing red robes.

Dragoon.

He had heard Guinevere gasp in surprise, but he hadn't made a sound himself. He had just stared at the sorcerer, barely daring to believe he was there, right in front of him. He was about to roar for the guards to seize him, but the old man, not waiting for anyone to drag him, had walked alone to Arthur, his long, wooden staff in his hand.

Arthur had almost heard every people in the room hold his breath.

Dragoon was just as he remembered him, his slim, pale face wrinkled and carved in age, his piercing blue eyes with a strange mix of youth and wisdom in them. But there was something slightly different about him, although he couldn't quite figure out what. Maybe it was the fact that the eyes weren't as sparkling as the first time Arthur had met him. There could be something in his expression, too; more serious than usual, he didn't look as if he was mocking Arthur but tried not to show it. He looked more like when he had been about to cast a spell on Arthur's dying father.

Perhaps it was because he was trying not to think about the last time they had met, but Arthur noticed something; although he was a criminal, a hunted down sorcerer, not only did Dragoon not seem overly concerned about his safety, but the two men guarding the doors seem to look at him with what could have been fear. As the old man walked past the Knights of Camelot, Arthur also noticed, on the corner of his eyes, that Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and Percival didn't look at all pleased to see Dragoon. Elyan's hand slightly clutched his sword, Leon shot him a dark look, and Percival stiffened, looking as though he was smelling something nasty but didn't want to show it. Finally, the old sorcerer stopped in front of Arthur and stared at him.

Arthur would have wanted to say many things, but all he could get out of his mouth was:

"You."

Dragoon looked back at him, his face motionless, and said:

"So we meet again, Arthur Pendragon."

His voice sounded nothing like what Arthur was used to. It was hoarse, and deeper and graver than his usual cackling, mocking one.

Arthur felt as if all his emotions kept him from moving.

"How dare you show in here?" The King's voice was neither angry nor painful: he was just asking a surprised question.

Dragoon seemed to choose his words.

"I am not as daring as you might think by coming here", he said. "I am not guilty of the crime you would see me dead for."

A bit of his anger started to return to Arthur. His jaw hardened.

"I don't even know how you can stand in front of me and say this", he whispered. "After you killed my father."

Something dark passed in the sorcerer's eyes, but it was gone next second.

"I don't deny that it was my spell that caused your father's death", he said, and his voice sounded older and more charged with years than ever. "However, you are wrong to think I killed him. I never wanted to kill your father. Not once."

There was truth in his eyes, but Arthur wouldn't lower his guard so easily.

"If you didn't kill him, why did he die?"

Dragoon's face darkened.

"My magic wasn't the only one acting on him", he replied darkly. "I could not know that somebody else had made sure I would not succeed in curing him."

"What do you mean?"

Dragoon's eyes were piercing.

"Can't you guess who could have tried and stop me saving your father?"

Without even realizing, Arthur tightened his grip on the throne's arm.

"She had Agravaine place a magical artefact on Uther, to stop my magic making effects", Dragoon added. "It is the only reason your father died."

The sorcerer's blue eyes were gazing at Arthur. He looked as though he wanted to keep justifying himself but saw fitter to remain quiet for now.

Arthur straightened on his throne.

"How do I know if I can believe you? How can I know you weren't the one who killed my father?"

Dragoon stared at him as though he couldn't believe anyone could be stupid enough to say something like this.

"Are you really as much of a stupid toad as you look?" he asked, and his voice became cackling and mocking again.

Arthur raised his brows. All around them, knights made to grab their swords.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you ever use your brain, Arthur Pendragon? If I had really wanted your father to die, all I would have had to do was refuse to help you when you came to find me! Why would I risk killing him in front of you, and then my life while escaping, when I might just as well stay in my house and not do anything at all and let things happen, and the result would be the same? Do you honestly think it wouldn't have been easier for me to just let your father die from his wounds, if I really wanted him dead?"

This sudden speech had taken Arthur a bit aback, but even he couldn't deny it made sense. As a matter of fact, this thought had once or twice occurred to him, a long time after his father's death, when he could once again think straight and clearly about it…it was right that if Dragoon had wanted Uther dead, all he had to do was refuse what Arthur asked…but whenever this thought came, he had immediately cast it away, repeating to himself that all sorcerers were evil and twisted and it was Dragoon's fault his father was dead.

Dragoon was still scrutinizing him, waiting for his answer. Finally, Arthur said:"So if you haven't killed my father, why are you here?"

The sorcerer seemed to relax slightly. There was a note of relief in his voice when he said: "I know you are about to fight Morgana in three days. I have come to offer my help."

At this point, Arthur stared at him, bewildered.

"You want to _help_?"

"The best I can", Dragoon agreed.

"You want to help me even though your kind has always been persecuted in Camelot?"

To his great surprise, Dragoon let out a cackling, half humored, half bitter laugh.

"How strange it feels to hear you say that", he said, "when I usually hear it from my kin."

"What do you mean?"

"I have helped you for many, many years", the old sorcerer said, still looking as though what Arthur had said had been a joke. "As far as I can remember, I started helping you before you even started to consider that maybe your father's actions about magic weren't just. Believe me, in all these years I've heard more than enough people telling me that I shouldn't help you because of how my kind is treated in Camelot."

Arthur was puzzled.

"You've been helping Camelot for _years_?"

"Oh, yes. I wasn't joking when I said I knew more than you could ever imagine", Dragoon cackled mockingly.

"How long have you been helping Camelot?"

Dragoon laughed again, but this time more as if it was a joke only he could understand.

"Oh, years and years. I've lost count."

Arthur wasn't sure the sorcerer was telling him the whole truth.

"But I never saw you around Camelot", he said, frowning. "Except for the time you almost had my wife executed."

This time again, Dragoon looked appalled by Arthur's stupidity.

"Is this all you can say, Arthur Pendragon? 'You killed my father', 'you almost killed my wife', but when do you actually think? Did you seriously believe that I had enchanted the both of you to fall in love, when you better than anyone _knew_ I hadn't? You think it was my fault your wife was almost executed, but did you never notice that it was actually thanks to me she _wasn't_?"

Arthur had to admit he had never given it a thought. Yes, he knew his feelings for Gwen weren't the result of an enchantment, but he had been so happy that Gwen wasn't executed he had barely thought about why the old sorcerers had made this story up. He had convinced himself that Dragoon was really trying to enchant him to fall in love with a maidservant, and had happened to choose the very one he already loved, but now he could see how stupid that sounded.

Dragoon seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

"No. No, of course, you can't see any further than your awareness of sorcerers, and you stop thinking cleverly when it comes to magic. All you can say is that you hate magic, and when a sorcerer saves someone you love you manage to convince yourself he tried to kill this someone. What a dollop head princes like you can-"

"All right, all right", Arthur cut him. "So do you want to help us?"

"Yes."

Arthur knew it wouldn't simply stop at this.

"And what do you want in return?"

Dragoon's face became serious again, his voice hoarser.

"I think you know."

And Arthur thought he did, too.

"The same thing as last time?"

"That's right", Dragoon replied. "If I help you win this war, I want you to swear that I and the likes of me will be able to live without fear, and that we will never be hunted down again, as we were under your father's reign."

Arthur looked at him. What he was about to do was mad. He knew it. It was crazy. All his life he had been repeated that magic and sorcerers were evil and couldn't be trusted. Yet here he was today…facing a sorcerer who had already saved Gwen's life once, and, if he wasn't lying, who had tried to save his father.

But this episode was too strong for Arthur to just forget about it.

"I still don't know if I can trust you", he said.

He thought Dragoon would call him an idiot again, but the sorcerer just shrugged.

"Morgana has got many sorcerers in her army. You're standing no chance against them anyway. What have you got to lose? You can't defeat her without me, and if I'm a traitor then one sorcerer won't make any difference, because then she will defeat you whether I'm here or not."

Arthur thought the old man had pretty much summed up the story. He took a deep breath. His father would probably turn in his grave about what he was going to do, but Dragoon had one thing right: they didn't stand a chance if Morgana really had gathered an army of sorcerers. Camelot needed all the help they could get. And if he didn't do the best to follow his father's footsteps, he certainly did the best for Camelot.

"Very well", he said. "I swear to you, if you help us defeat Morgana for good, the ban on magic will be lifted. You will never have to live in fear anymore. I promise you."

For the first time, something changed on Dragoon's face; it was no longer dark, or mocking, or any of that. For the first time, on the old face, and in the young eyes, Arthur saw a new feeling, a mixture of joy and disbelief.

Hope.

Every single person in the room held their breath. Arthur could guess the eyes staring at Arthur in amazement, wondering what had just happened to their King, or flickering between Arthur and Dragoon, waiting for the old man's answer. It finally came, in a voice that sounded much younger and filled with hope than ever:

"Then…I _will_ help you defeat Morgana."

As he spoke, a smile made its way on the wrinkled face, a smile like Arthur had never seen before. Even the last time he had made the old man the promise of a free life, he hadn't seen him so full of hope.

"How do you plan to help us?" Arthur asked. "I'm sure you're powerful, but against a full army of your kind…"

Dragoon gave out another cackling chuckle.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about this if I were you. I'm certainly much more powerful than you think, for one thing. And don't forget that Morgana fears me."

"Morgana knows you?" Arthur frowned.

"Oh yes", Dragoon said, and he seemed delighted at the thought. "And I can tell you, once you've seen how she reacts when she'll see me in your army, you will no longer wonder if you can trust me or not. She loathes me." The smile faded a bit. "Yes, Morgana knows me, although not under the same name as you do. As a matter of fact, you know by what name she knows me."

Arthur stared at. "What are you talking about?"

"Dragoon is not my real name", the old sorcerer revealed. "I have made it up when we met, because I didn't think it safe to reveal my identity this way."

"So you lied to me?" Arthur said angrily.

"Yes, because I didn't have a choice. However, Dragoon is a false name."

Arthur nodded slowly.

"What's your real name, then?"

He thought he saw Gaius move slightly on the spot, as though unease, but didn't care.

Something twinkled in the old man's eyes.

"I have several names", he said. "My allies know me as Emrys."

The name immediately tilted, as though it had awakened something in the back of Arthur's mind. He was sure he had heard it before. The old sorcerer scrutinized him. Arthur had a feeling he knew exactly what Arthur was thinking.

But something else had caught the King's attention.

"Your allies?" he said.

"Yes", the old man said. "They have come with me today."

As he spoke, the gates of the room opened on two men who walked in the room.

Arthur looked at them. He immediately recognized the one on his right, for he had met him before; he would have recognized him anyway for what he was, for there could be no mistake that he was a Druid. His blond hair curled on his front head, his face was slim and his eyes were surprisingly peaceful. Arthur remembered their last meeting; he had threatened to kill a Druid boy so that the man would give him the Cup of Life. He thought bitterly that he might just as well have left it to them, since he no longer had it.

He was sure he didn't know the other one, who was about the same size as Dragoon and was, just like him, holding a stiff in his hand. His head was bald and shining and his clothes clearly showed he came from a foreign country even if Arthur couldn't tell which one.

They stopped a little behind Dragoon. It was very strange. Arthur had always considered the sorcerer's powers to be a bit of a joke. But most strangely, the two men didn't need to speak for Arthur to see that they regarded the old man as their leader. The grudging, mocking old sorcerer had suddenly become a powerful sorcerer, respected by his kind. It was as if his knights had started showing fearful respect towards Merlin.

"They are my allies", Dragoon said. "I entirely trust them, and you would be wise to do likewise. They are valuable allies, and they have proven their loyalty. If you trust me, you trust them. If you fight with me, you fight with them."

Arthur nodded slowly, and addressed the two newcomers. "Is it true? Will you help me defeat Morgana?"

The stranger on Dragoon's right spoke, with what sounded like a foreign accent: "I am Alator of Catha. I believe in the world Emrys will build, and in the world you will build. My powers are at Emrys's command."

The Druid spoke too. "My name is Iseldir. You have recently proven that you are not a tyrant by allowing once again my people to live a free life. My people follow Emrys. We will fight alongside him, and alongside you, if he wishes us to."

"Do you speak for your people?" Arthur asked.

"I do."

Arthur threw Guinevere a quick glance. She looked surprised, of course. Their eyes met, and he hoped she understood that right now, he needed her. He needed her to support him, to convince him that he was doing the right thing, taking the right decision. Her eyes were full of faith. They didn't speak, but this was enough.

He stood up.

"Then I am pleased to count you, Emrys, you, Alathor of Catha, and you, Iseldir, as my allies in the battle that will take place in three days. If Camelot wins this war with your help, I give you my word that magic will no longer be outlawed in Camelot, and those who practice it will no longer be criminals."

The three sorcerers nodded.

"I take it the three of you are the only sorcerers I can count on", Arthur said.

"As a matter of fact, we're not", Iseldir said. "I have about thirty of my people who are willing to stand alongside Emrys."

"And my men will fight, too", Alator added.

These were surprising news, but Arthur was glad of it; the more, the better, he thought.

"If you plan to fight with us, you might as well start now", Arthur told them.

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And so the training had started.

This was another thing Arthur wouldn't have believed if someone had told him: while his own men were sword training, they were surrounded by Druids practicing magic, and by Alathor's men, whom Arthur couldn't help but feel glad they were on his side rather than Morgana's, judging by their look.

But Druids and brutal-looking men weren't the only addition to Arthur's troops. He also had the surprise to see a young man about his age walk in Camelot's training area, heading straight to Emrys and the Druids and starting to speak to them. Arthur immediately knew he had seen him before, and as he had walked closer to the boy, he had recognized him.

"You!" he had said. "I know you. You came here for the free-entering tournament a few years ago, didn't you?"

"That's right", the boy said. He had taken a look around. "I didn't think I'd see Camelot again."

"But what are you doing here?"

"I came to help", the boy grinned, and his eyes flashed gold. A sword on a rack had flown in the air straight into his hand. "I'm Gilli."

"Did you use sorcery during this tournament?" Arthur had asked, frowning. "That's how you won?"

"Yes", Gilli simply said. "Not that I'm really proud of it. I shouldn't have done it."

"Why did you do it, then?"

He had shrugged and looked away from Arthur's eyes. "You wouldn't understand", he had said, making gestures with his sword, as though fighting an invisible enemy in slow motion. "You were a prince at the time. Me, all my life I've been picked on, disparaged, humiliated, because without magic I'm not good at anything. I wanted to prove that I wasn't a coward. You were supposed to enter this tournament with whatever weapon you wanted. That's what I did. I used the only skill I have that makes me really strong."

"How come you've lost then? If you were using magic, why didn't you win against my father?"

Gilli had then shot Emrys a quick look, half amused, half annoyed, and replied:"Somebody prevented me winning."

Arthur had stared at him in surprise. "How's that?"

"Someone else used magic to stop me winning", Gilli had explained. "He had tried to convince me to withdraw, but I didn't, so he used more radical ways."

Arthur frowned. "This isn't really fair, is it? Stopping you winning?"

Gilli let out a laugh. "No, it wasn't. Well, that's what I thought at the time. I've had time to think it over. I know better now. The person who did that did the right thing. He wasn't unfair, he saved my life. I could have been caught using magic…and it wasn't like this person didn't understand me. At first I thought he was a coward, or some kind of traitor, but once again, I know better now."

"What do you mean?"

"He was exactly in the same situation as I was", Gilli had said, lowering his sword to face Arthur. "He was a warlock, and a powerful one, but he couldn't show it and he had to pretend he was just…well, a nobody. And there he was being picked on and bullied because he was weak without magic, just like me. Except he didn't mind staying hidden without being able to show people who he really was, he didn't mind never using his powers for himself, for his own glory…that's to say, just the opposite of me", Gilli had smiled.

Arthur had nodded. "So this person is the reason my father won?"

"You could say that", Gilli had said. "But I don't really care anymore. I had done it as far as the final. I could have killed your father because I had magic and he didn't…it's not much to be proud of, is it?"

"Not really", Arthur had said. "Well, Gilli, welcome back to Camelot."

Gilli had grinned.

As he had walked away, Arthur was sure he had heard Emrys tell Gilli: "You've certainly changed."

But this wasn't the only surprising thing that had happened this day. He had also had the occasion to watch Gareth and Elaine, the mysterious twins, fight.

It was a very curious thing to watch, too. He was growing more and more suspicious of them; they looked like they could be trusted, but they definitely weren't peasants. He had seen them with a sword, and there was no doubt that they had been trained to fight, maybe even since they were born. He wondered if they secretly came from a noble family. Giving the way they fought, it was very likely.

He had watched Gareth dueling with Gwaine. It was quite odd. Gwaine obviously had the advantage, but not always; it sometimes looked as if Gareth knew what his opponent was about to do. Once or twice Gwaine used one of his secret blows that could have been lethal in a real fight, and if Gareth didn't always avoid them, he sometimes seemed to see them coming: he would duck just in time, or almost block it. He even actually blocked Gwaine's very effective well-known attack to disarm him. After watching them for a while, Arthur managed to work out the strange thing: Gareth was acting as if he had already fought Gwaine before. The thought had seemed preposterous, but when he thought about it, there was a large part of Gwaine's life he didn't know about; his friend had travelled wide, after all, and he could very well have met Gareth back then.

Something else had caught his attention: the way all his new allies were behaving towards Mordred.

Considering that the boy was a Druid, he had expected him to get along pretty well with his people: he did not. Without openly disliking him, they seemed to try and avoid him, and it looked like they didn't appreciate being close to him for too long. Iseldir often gave Mordred strange looks, in which Arthur saw a mixture of sadness and wariness. When he was training at the same time as Emrys, Iseldir and Alathor wouldn't leave Emrys's side, occasionally shooting Mordred quick looks as though checking he wasn't doing anything dishonest. But Arthur couldn't remember seeing Emrys alone since he and his magical allies had arrived in Camelot.

He was discovering a whole new aspect of the old sorcerer. Every single one of the people he had brought with him seemed to regard him as their legal leader, and a powerful, even frightening one. The Druids were more than respectful to him. Alathor's men always bowed before and after talking to him. He hadn't imagined this old, grudging man would be so fear and respected among his kind.

"What can you possibly mean for these people?" he had asked incredulously after a Druid had asked Emrys something, and then bowed deeply before going.

Emrys had chuckled.

"No more than you mean for your people", he had said. "I'm their leader. In a way, I'm their King. They have faith in me. They trust me to lead them. And I trust them to follow me, to fight with me. You'd do well to remember that, Arthur. The people who follow you will only go as far as where you trust them to."

He gave out a strange aura when he spoke this way, a bit like Merlin when he decided to be wise.

"Since when do you know about leading an army?" Arthur had asked.

Emrys had laughed again.

"Let's just say I've watched and learned", he had replied. "Here's something you'd want to try, too."

And with that enigmatic answer, he had walked away.

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**Please review? Tell me what you think?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

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**So here's another one! And a long one...sorry :) I hope you're not bored with my long chapters. So, as Windy asked me, you've got some more Arthur and Dragoon (or Emrys, should we say now) interaction here...and a nice ending to diffuse the tension. Thanks for your reviews and support, and hope you like it! And please don't forget to review, it really helps!  
**

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Morgana stood in the forest; her eyes staring at the empty clear. It was night, and almost everyone in the camp was sleeping in their tent. Her eyes scanned the tree, to which the moonlight gave a strange lavender color, the sky in which dark clouds hid the stars, the grass moving very slightly, reflects of the moon dancing on it as a very light wind passed above it.

She was going to hold a battle against Arthur. Finally, after all this time, she was going to get what she wanted: the throne of Camelot would be hers, and her brother would be dead. She would have everything she had fought for. The usual rush of wild happiness filled her heart at the thought. At last, she would take her rightful place on the throne of Camelot.

But why, so close to her goal, having almost already won the battle, why did she feel this kind of sadness, this sort of bitterness that clouded her joy? Why did she have the feeling that something, somewhere, had somehow gone wrong, even if she hadn't seen it but would soon see it? She was a Seer, and she was familiar with the glimpses she caught of the future, but she had rarely felt such a strong, bad feeling about something. Why couldn't she suppress the feeling that soon, much too soon, she would have to face something she had done her best to avoid?

There was a noise of shuffled leaves behind her. She span around, but it was just Alvarr.

"Oh, it's you", she said.

"Having trouble sleeping, Morgana?" he asked, walking closer to her.

She didn't feel really comfortable with Alvarr's presence. She was, of course, glad to have him in her army, but still, she remembered that the first time they had met, he had been overly kind, gentle, understanding with her…almost too much. She hadn't forgotten that her feelings for him had been more than friendly, but now that she thought back of it, she wondered whether he hadn't got her in infatuated with him on purpose.

"Something like this", she replied.

"You don't have to be worried", Alvarr said.

"Oh, spare me the smooth lecture", Morgana snapped.

If Alvarr was crossed at this, he didn't show it. He took another few steps closer to her. Morgana, who was keen to avoid arguing with her most powerful allies, gave him half a smile.

"I'm sorry", she said.

"It's all right."

She turned her back on him and heard him walking even closer to her.

"You've certainly showed us what charisma means", she said with an impressed smile. "I'm still surprised at how easily they believed everything you told them this afternoon."

She looked at Alvarr, who shrugged modestly.

"Alined's soldiers clearly held no real trust in their king", he said. "They followed him out of hunger for power and victims. Or else they would never have believed that he was killed trying to take the Cup of Life all for himself."

"Maybe it wouldn't be so surprising coming from him", Morgana said ironically. "I was never under the impression that he was particularly cunning."

Alvarr was just behind her now; she could feel his breath down her neck.

"You still do not seem happy", he said. "Why? We are about to strike the final blow that will give us what we have been waiting for, for so long."

"It's none of your business what's bothering me", she replied.

"You don't have to be completely on your own on this, Morgana", Alvarr said. "I am glad to be part of an army who's about to finally take Camelot, but I want to be more than just a soldier to you. I want to be your friend."

"I wouldn't count too much on that", Morgana snapped. She turned around and faced him. "Do not forget your place, Alvarr. You're no longer the leader here. I am now. Remember that."

A slight crease appeared between Alvarr's brows.

"I don't want to argue with you, Morgana", he said. "I have always thought of you as a friend. I always felt that we needed each other. Ever since the day we met."

"Oh, you certainly did", Morgana retorted. "It was mostly you who needed me at the time, wasn't it?"

Alvarr opened his mouth to answer, but Morgana had already walked straight past him, heading back to the tent. Before she'd done three steps, however, a voice echoed in her mind: _Morgana!_

She froze on the spot. It was Mordred.

Looking behind her, she saw that Alvarr had heard it, too.

_What is it, Mordred?_

_Emrys has arrived at Camelot. He is going to be there for the war. He will help Arthur._

Morgana's heart made a leapt in her chest and started beating twice faster than usual as she heard that her worst fear had come true.

_You mean Merlin? What does he look like?_

_He is a very old man, with long beard and hair, and a wooden staff._

Morgana bit her lips.

_Yes, that's him. What did he do? When did he arrive?_

_This morning. He spoke to Arthur in front of half Camelot. He offered Arthur to help him._

_Help him? But how could he? He's a sorcerer! Arthur would never let him join Camelot-_

_Yet he has. Emrys promised him that he would help defeat you, in exchange for Arthur to lift the ban on magic. And he is not alone. He has two allies with him._

_Allies? Who?_ Morgana's voice was growing panicked.

_The first is a Druid, Iseldir. I know him; I used to live with him for a while, a long time ago. _

_And the other?_

_I do not know him. His name is Alator of Catha._

Morgana's jaw hardened. She certainly hadn't forgotten how Alator of Catha had betrayed her. If she hadn't been so angry (and possibly frightened), she would have been almost glad to know where he was. She wanted him dead almost as much as Arthur.

_Very well. Do you think you would be able to kill him before the battle?_

_I do not think so. He keeps away from me, and his allies never leave him unprotected. He has even warned the other Druids about me. One false step from me, and they will all be after me._

Morgana took a deep breath. She had to keep her head cool.

_All right. Keep an eye on him. Even Emrys can't stop us if we've got the Cup of Life._

_I will._

* * *

Standing in the throne room in front of the window, Arthur wasn't sleeping.

He had been training all day, and he should have been exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. This had been Camelot's first day as they prepared for the battle. It had also been his first day as a leader, which meant he had had to take a decision that would decide Camelot's fate. He had made his choice: he had accepted to ally with sorcerers.

He still wasn't sure it had been the right solution, even if none of them had tried to kill him yet. But he couldn't just cast aside over twenty-five years of being repeated that magic was evil and that all those who practiced it where enemies of Camelot and would stop at nothing to destroy it. Dragoon –Arthur still couldn't get used to calling him Emrys- had at least opened his eyes on one thing: how he had enclosed himself in his old prejudices and beliefs, after his father's death, out of mere grief. At the time, he had seen more than enough proofs that not all those who practiced magic were pure evil. But the more time went by, the more did his father's ways tend to be forgotten. He had stopped persecuting Druids, and now, he had several sorcerers ready to fight with him.

As he looked at the dark sky, he let out a deep breath and thought once again of his father. He had always considered Uther as an example to follow. He had idealized him in many ways, and had always done his best to do what his father expected of him, and to stick as much as possible to the image he had of his father. But, of course, time had gone by. He had started to grow more and more independent of his father's opinion. He had stopped following Uther's orders blindly and started to think about his father's actions. When he had become King, he had been scared that he wouldn't live up to his father. But recently, he had been forced to consider that maybe his father had been wrong. And maybe –maybe it was up to Arthur to right his father's wrongs. Maybe he was not destined to be a great king _like_ his father had been, but to be a great king because he _wasn't_ like his father.

The doors of the room weren't closed. He heard the footsteps behind him, but didn't turn around.

"Something on your mind?"

Arthur turned his face towards the old sorcerer. Emrys was standing in the doorway, looking as though he wanted to come closer but didn't dare.

The King wet his lips.

"Maybe." His eyes went back to the night outside. "It's been a long day."

There were a few silent seconds before Emrys said: "You did the right thing."

Arthur almost restrained an ironical laugh. How strange it was to hear a sorcerer comforting him about his decisions.

"How do you know it?" he asked, still not looking at the old man.

Emrys took his time to reply. "Because…I have faith in your destiny."

Arthur took his eyes off the dark sky and looked at Emrys. Half his face was in the dark, but the window let a moon ray cast light on the other side of his old, slim, wise, wrinkled face.

Arthur stared at him for a few seconds. Emrys seemed to take it as a good sign and took another few steps forward.

"You need to learn to get out of the way your father would have wanted you to follow", Emrys said. "You wouldn't wonder whether you've made the right choice if you did."

Arthur shrugged. "You can't know that."

"Oh, but I can", the old man said, and Arthur heard the smile. "I know you, Arthur Pendragon. I know what you're made of. What you fear. What you dream of."

Arthur frowned. "How do you know all this about me?"

Emrys chuckled under his breath. "I know much more than you could imagine. I have been watching you for a very long time…"

"About that", Arthur said, turning completely to face Emrys. "You said you had been helping Camelot for many years."

"It is the truth", Emrys said.

"Yes, but for how long have you been helping Camelot? I've never seen you around Camelot before that business with Gwen and me. I've never even noticed that magic was being used around me. I think I would've noticed."

To his surprise, Emrys started laughing, even more than when Arthur had first asked him for how long he had been helping Camelot.

"You think you would've noticed if magic was used around you?" he chuckled. "You have never been more wrong, believe me."

"What do you mean?"

Emrys shook his head in disbelief.

"What a dollop head you can be. It will never cease to amaze me how oblivious you could be when you wanted to. One would think you're deaf and blind." He chuckled again and looked straight at Arthur, and the King's eyes met the blue, young ones. "In all these years, you _never_ noticed how unbelievingly lucky you are? You never wondered how Camelot could possibly be still standing after all these magical attacks? And in all this time, it _never_ crossed your mind that the only possibility was that there was another magic defending Camelot?"

Arthur stared at him. The answer was, of course, no. It hadn't.

Emrys raised his eyes heavenwards.

"I give up", he said grudgingly.

"On what?" Arthur asked.

"On trying to open your thick mind!" Emrys cackled at him, becoming Dragoon again. "I've been saving your life and Camelot every day for almost ten years, I can't even remember everything I did for you, and you didn't even take notice of _one_ in all this? How much of an empty-headed _toad_ do you have to be?"

"Will you stop calling me that?" Arthur said, annoyed. "I mean, all right, maybe I didn't notice everything you've been doing, but I think I'm still a good King."

Emrys snorted.

Arthur raised his brows.

"You disagree?"

Emrys softened a little, becoming his wise and calm self again. "No. You've proven yourself, Arthur, much more than you think. But you're still to be tested. And if you want to pass that test, you're going to have to be less of a fool and try to think a bit more like the King you really are."

"So you think I'm a real King?"

The words had escaped Arthur's lips before he could think of it. He cursed himself for it; the question sounded so childish, as if he needed reassuring. But Emrys did not seem to think of it as a weakness. He even seemed to consider the question before answering.

"Yes, I think you've showed that you are a worthy King. If you still doubt it, take a look at your belt."

Taken aback, Arthur looked down at his waist and saw what Emrys meant. His sword was hanging to his side, this sword he had pulled out of solid rock, and which made him a true King of Camelot.

When he looked back at Emrys, the old man's eyes were sparkling.

"You've proven yourself, Arthur", he said. "And you are about to do it again. You are going to lead us to war, and we are going to win."

Arthur stared at him.

"Do you think so?"

"Oh, yes."

Arthur let out a sigh.

"Well, at least you're confident."

Emrys shrugged. "If I don't have faith, who will? I already have to be confident enough for the both of us, and I am not, you will fall into pieces and I will have to think of a new way of giving you hope back."

This surprised Arthur.

"You do have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"

Emrys chuckled. "Hark who's talking! You wouldn't have been able to do half what I did, your ugly head would have been too big with pride for your body to carry."

They didn't speak for a little longer. Arthur noticed that Emrys had walked closer to him. Finally, Arthur asked: "Do you think we stand a chance against Morgana?"

Emrys didn't immediately answer.

"We have the power to defeat her; that is a sure thing. But that doesn't mean we _will_."

"What do you mean?"

Emrys waited to answer, even longer than before. In fact, he remained quiet for such a long time Arthur thought he wasn't going to answer. He seemed to be struggling with saying something. Finally, he said: "Morgana is a powerful witch. With the help of our new allies, I think we should be able to beat her. But we won't know anything for sure until we face her. "

Arthur nodded slowly. He had expected something a bit more precise, but he had a feeling he wouldn't force anything out of the old sorcerer if he didn't want to.

Emrys turned around and walked to the doors of the room. Before he reached them, Arthur, for the first time, used the sorcerer's name: "Emrys?"

The old man stopped but didn't turn around to face Arthur. Arthur wondered if something in his voice had worried him.

"Yes?" the old voce said.

"You keep talking about everything you did for Camelot", Arthur said. "But what did you actually do? I'm sure I've never seen you around Camelot before. Were you in a disguise? And how exactly did you save Camelot? And when? Could you just…tell me a little more about you? It will make things, well, easier for me to understand." He hesitated and then added. "And to understand you."

Emrys did not turn around. Arthur had to look expectantly at the old man's back.

"That", Emrys finally answered, and Arthur was sure when he heard the aged voice that he was smiling, "is a story for another time."

And he left the room.

* * *

Merlin couldn't suppress a smile as he headed to the chambers Arthur had allowed him. He couldn't believe his idea had worked so well. He knew he would be risking his life showing as Dragoon in front of Arthur; but things couldn't have worked better. Arthur had believed him; he had accepted his help; better, he had even accepted other sorcerers in his army.

But Merlin had not been able to answer frankly when Arthur had asked him why he was not sure about their victory. For a moment, he had really considered telling him about Mordred; but he had found he just couldn't. He knew Arthur wouldn't completely trust him till the battle was won. Even if he had told him about the young Druid, nothing could guarantee that Arthur would believe him. But then, he remembered, Gaius knew about Mordred too…perhaps if the physician talked to Arthur…

But just as the thought shaped in his mind, he heard loud voices talking. He stepped closer to them. The one talking louder was a woman's. Quickly hiding behind a pillar, he realized that the other was Gwaine's. He was so surprised he couldn't help listening.

"…so you thought you could just get away with, didn't you?" a woman's sharp, angry voice spoke.

"Yes –well, no. Look, maybe this isn't the best moment-"

"Oh yes it is", the woman said fiercely. "You _will_ listen to me, _now_, whether you like it or not."

Merlin was sure he didn't know the woman. Half curious, half amused, he remained silent. It intrigued him to know what was going on. He heard Gwaine's voice again.

"I'm telling you, I'll hear you out anytime, but there's sort of a war preparing here, so maybe if you could just-"

"I. Don't. _Care_", the woman cut angrily, articulating every word. "You are not going away this time, do you understand? You will stay here and listen to what I have to say. Do I make myself clear?"

"Oh, all right. But please, don't take that shocked, high-pitched voice-"

The woman let out an offended exclamation.

"_Shocked!_" she screamed. "I come back after more than a year since you just seduced me and then forgot about me, I tell you that I found myself pregnant a few weeks after we parted, you try to avoid me and avoid talking to me, and you would have the nerve to blame me for being _shocked_! My God, I knew you were a lot of things, Gwaine, but I wouldn't have believed you could be such a-"

"Yes, right. Could you avoid waking the whole castle?" Gwaine asked, but Merlin could tell he didn't entirely have his usual self-confidence. He sounded really worried about what might happen if the whole castle woke now. "All right, I know I haven't been very nice, but–"

"Oh, you think you have _not been very nice!_ You are the most cowardly, dishonored, heartless, debauched _drunkard_ I ever had the misfortune to meet!"

"You forgot handsome. Could you calm down a little?" Gwaine hushed. "I mean, all right, I've been –everything you said – and I would gladly listen to you, but you didn't choose the right moment to show. Just wait another few days, and then I'll do anything you ask."

"How _dare_ you try and get rid of me this way? Did you forget who I am?"

"That would be difficult", Gwaine replied dully.

"Then you know I could have you thrown in the dungeons if I wanted to?"

"Actually, I'm not so sure. See, that's the point of being close friend to the King. It has its advantages."

"You just wait till I tell the King what you've done. Then we shall see if you can still do whatever you please and get away with it."

"No, that's not a very good idea", Gwaine said.

"Oh? Are you afraid the King might not side with you when he finds out you have got a _bastard child_?"

Merlin didn't know which was strongest of his surprise and his sudden wish to burst out laughing. There wasn't anything funny with Gwaine being father to an illegitimate child, but it certainly was something to see him in such a situation. It certainly changed with the Gwaine he knew, full of self-confidence and unable to be serious. Making sure not to make any noise, he leaned and tried to look what was going on on the other side of the pillar.

Gwaine stood in the corridor with his back to him. He was talking to a woman Merlin couldn't get a clear sight of, because he was half hiding her, but her dress and hair allowed no doubt that she was a noble.

"How was I supposed to know you were pregnant?" Gwaine asked, and he started to sound annoyed. "You left overnight, leaving me a note to say you would _always love me_; you didn't tell me anything for the next eighteen months, and now you come back and you get angry at me for something I didn't even know about."

"But you didn't bother to get news from me after I left, _did you?_"

"In case you haven't noticed, I am a knight. I have got one or two duties that take my time."

"Oh, my apologies, _Sir Knight_", she said ironically. "I admit it, I should have told you. But how dare you try and escape me this way, when I tell you that you have a son? I am sure you have been absolutely immoral at your time, but you are a knight, for heaven's sake! How dare you run away from me?"

"All right, all right. But what do you want me to do? I can't do much about the past right now, Clarissan."

"Oh, I think you know what I want", the woman said. There were a few seconds, and then she added: "I want you to marry me."

This was followed by a very long silence, before Gwaine said: "I've heard many propositions in my life, but I've never seen a woman declare her love so angrily."

"I am not declaring my love to anyone!" Clarissan flared up at once. "I am merely trying to keep what little honor you left me, Sir Gwaine! And what little honor my son has left! You certainly do not love me anymore, Gwaine, and I perfectly accept that, but think of your son. You are a knight, act like one!"

Gwaine started saying something, but Merlin couldn't quite hear what it was, because the woman immediately added fiercely: "And you would be wise to accept my proposal. I have already managed to convince my brother not to come and challenge you in a fight. That is, after I promised my dying father that I would not let this business tarnish the honor of my family. I have no doubt that you would be able to win a fight with my brother, but I also know you, Gwaine. No matter what your past has been, I know you wouldn't live with such a shame on you. So you have a choice between marrying me, and suffering the displeasure of my family, along with disgrace I would never let you forget."

Gwaine took his time to reply. He sounded resigned when he asked: "Is your brother here too?"

"Oh, yes, he is", Clarissan answered, sounding delighted. "And I can assure you, whatever your decision, he shall know about it."

"Is his temper as bad as it used to be?" Gwaine asked.

"He hasn't changed in the slightest", the woman assured.

"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No, I should say you don't", Clarissan said.

"All right, then. I'll marry you."

"Very good", the woman said with what sounded like a cruel happiness. "But don't go imagining things. I am not marrying you out of love for you. I am doing this for my honor, and that of my family, and that of my son."

"Yes, of course", Gwaine said.

His voice had suddenly lost its uncertainty. He sounded much more confident than he had been for the entire conversation. Merlin thought he saw Clarissan raise an eyebrow.

"Do you think I am lying?"

"Of course I know you're lying. Do you think I'm an idiot? I mean, a blind could see that you still love me."

"You haven't even come close to making me love you again", the woman said.

"Ah, but you see, I still love you", Gwaine said, and Merlin could tell he was grinning. "And I can still see right through you. So I can tell you that you still love me."

"How can you believe for one second that I still love-"

Before she could end her sentence, Gwaine pulled her in an embrace and kissed her fiercely. Clarissan kissed him back and put her arms around the knight's neck.

Merlin couldn't help the feeling that his friend had some nerve indeed.

Suddenly, Clarissan seemed to realize what she was doing and pushed Gwaine back.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again", she said, holding up a threatening finger at him.

"Clarissan, I can't even begin to handle how beautiful you are when you're angry", was Gwaine's mocking reply. To his great surprise, Merlin saw a large smile spread across Clarissan's face.

"Until I'm your wife", she finished.

She spun around and walked away, but a few feet further, she stopped and turned around.

"I almost forgot to tell you. Your son's name is Kay. He is six months old. I have left him back home because I didn't think it was very safe to travel with him, but do feel free to visit him as soon as you can."

And she left, leaving Gwaine alone, and Merlin was sure he was laughing.

Before going back to his chambers, he made a detour by Gaius's chambers, where he found Gareth and Elaine preparing to sleep.

"What is it?" Elaine asked when he entered.

"Why are you smiling like this?" Gareth asked.

"Tell me", Merlin said, unable to stop himself grinning, "does Gwaine happen to have a son in the future, named Kay?"

The twins glanced at each other before Gareth answered: "Well…yes, he does, but how do you know about it?"

"I guess it's the servant part of me that makes me able to listen to nobles' conversations", Merlin chuckled.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The next day, Merlin had the surprise to see several royal families from other kingdoms arrive in Camelot. Without telling anyone except Gwen, Arthur had sent words to everyone who could be of any help in the battle of Camlann. It was, of course, understandable: they would definitely need all the help they could get, magic or not.

This was how he saw Mithian, as beautiful and proud as he remembered, walk in the throne room, followed by her guard. She saluted Arthur with a smile Arthur returned her willingly after kissing her hand, and then turned to Gwen. Merlin could tell she had been curious to know what would the woman that had caught Arthur's heart so strongly look like. But Gwen looked everything like a Queen now, and one couldn't have guessed she was the daughter of a blacksmith.

Gwen greeted Mithian with a kind smile the Princess gave her back.

"It is a pleasure to meet you", Mithian said. "I am glad to see your heart has found its place, Arthur."

"Thank you", Arthur smiled. "And it is my pleasure to welcome you back to Camelot, even though I wished it wasn't in these dark times."

"Let us hope I'll leave in happier atmosphere", Mithian replied.

Mithian wasn't the only surprise guest. King Godwin arrived the same morning, greeted Arthur like an old friend, and explained that he had left his daughter Elena back home, despite her obvious will to come, and the fact that she was eager to beat Arthur at horse ride, "But", he added laughing, "someone has to take care of my kingdom while I'm away."

But the greatest surprise of them all was when Queen Anis of Carleon came in. Merlin knew she was no longer their enemy, but he thought she'd still hold a grudge against Arthur for killing her husband. But she didn't look angry in the slightest when Arthur welcomed her.

"I didn't expect you to come", Arthur said, looking rather pleased.

"I hesitated until the very last moment", Anis revealed. "But I have allied forces with Morgana in the past. I know her and I know you. So I know who is most worth fighting with, who most deserves to win this war. And I think it's you."

Arthur nodded. "Welcome to Camelot, then."

It was also that morning that he found out who Clarissan was.

The doors opened and a nobleman walked in, dressed like a knight. He was closely followed by a very beautiful woman with reddish-blonde curled hair and a green dress, and Merlin immediately recognized the woman Gwaine had been talking to the previous night. She looked very self-confident. He followed her green gaze and wasn't surprised to see she was eyeing Gwaine, who was whistling innocently and staring at the ceiling.

The knight that had walked in first greeted Arthur.

"Lord Hector of Tintagel", he said. "Did you have a good journey?"

"Oh, yes, it was very calm", Hector replied. "Possibly too calm. I like a good fight."

"I hope the battle will satisfy you", Arthur said darkly. "You arrived during the night?"

"Indeed. Our troops have followed us. We will help you the best we can."

"Thank you", Arthur said.

"And may I introduce my sister, the Lady Clarissan of Tintagel", Hector added.

Lady Clarissan walked forwards and reverenced to Arthur, who kissed her hand. She gave him a quite dazzling smile.

"Welcome to Camelot", the King said. "What was it that attracted you in our war?"

"Oh", Lady Clarissan grinned, "let us say I have got some…private matters that bring me here. I won't say more, except that it is a pleasure to meet you, My Lord."

They exchanged some more civilities, and Merlin heard Leon asking Gwaine: "Why is she staring at you this way?"

"She's surprised at how extraordinarily handsome I am", Gwaine casually answered.

"She doesn't look at you as if she thought you're handsome", Percival said.

"She looks at you as if she wants to make sure you won't run away", Elyan added.

Merlin couldn't help throwing the knights a quick look; Leon, Percival and Elyan were all staring intensely at Gwaine, almost surrounding him to make sure he wouldn't get out of this one.

Finally, Gwaine raised his eyes in annoyance and sighed: "Long story."

Merlin chuckled.

* * *

They spent the day training, again and again. Merlin's heart felt lighter than it had for years, being surrounded by Druids and sorcerers in the middle of Camelot, and doing magic with them. He spent a lot of time practicing with Gilli. He was happier than he could've told to see what the young man had become. He had wondered what Gilli would do after leaving Camelot. Gilli didn't talk very much about it, but from what Merlin had been able to work out, he hadn't been looking for fights or other opportunities to use magic for his own glory.

Another big surprise awaited them that day. Merlin was the only one not to be surprised when Tristan walked in Camelot.

"Tristan?" Arthur said, bewildered, when the man arrived in the middle of the training field. "What are you doing here?"

Tristan hadn't remained in Camelot after they had taken it back, almost a year earlier. Arthur had offered to knight him, but he had refused. He hadn't said it, but something told Merlin that Tristan probably would have accepted if Isolde hadn't died while taking Camelot back. Tristan had left Camelot alone and completely depressed. Percival and Leon had both offered to accompany him, at least to the borders, but he had refused that too.

"Merlin sent word to me", Tristan said. "Didn't he tell you?"

Arthur's face darkened but he quickly hid it. "Well, the idiot suddenly decided he couldn't be there for the war. I don't know where he is or what he's up to, but, well…if he sent for you to come, then he must not be totally useless."

Merlin had had to turn around to hide his grin.

During the afternoon that day, as Merlin was showing Gilli a spell to shape the fire the way you wanted, Arthur tapped his shoulder.

"Emrys?" he said. "The Queen would like to speak to you."

Surprised, Merlin turned around and saw that Guinevere was indeed standing next to Arthur. She looked a bit unsure what to say.

"I just wanted to…thank you", she said. "For what you did when I was sentenced to death."

"It was nothing", Merlin said.

"No, really", she insisted. "I'm really grateful. Not only did you save my life but, well…if I had died…" she looked hesitantly towards her husband. "I don't know how Arthur would have reacted."

Arthur looked at Gwen with all the love of the world in his eyes.

"I couldn't have lived without you", he said.

"Don't say that", she protested before turning back to Merlin. "But, well, thank you. For everything."

"We're both grateful", Arthur added.

Merlin didn't really know what to say, so he bowed respectfully to Gwen. Then he looked at Arthur and snorted.

"Why don't I get a bow?" Arthur asked, half crossed, half amused.

"Because you're stupid", Merlin said. "And because she is way cleverer than you."

"How could I guess that it wasn't you?" Arthur exclaimed. "I mean, I found you putting this magical thing in my room, and then you confessed your crime, how was I supposed to know you were lying? And what actually happened, anyway?"

Merlin sighed deeply.

"The first poultice that was found in your bedroom had been put there by Morgana. She probably wanted Guinevere out of the way for the throne of Camelot, so first she tried to have you-" he addressed Gwen "banished, and then, when Arthur told her he planned to go with you, she tried to have you executed."

Arthur and Gwen nodded. Merlin looked at them both for a few long seconds, and then took a deep breath.

"There is something else you should know", he said, looking at one then the other. "I have no wish to bring back painful memories, but I don't want a good man to be remembered as a man without honor, for something he hasn't done."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"Morgana wanted to prevent Guinevere from becoming Queen", Merlin said. "And she was ready to go to any lengths for that. When she learned that you were going to get married, she brought back the only thing that could get between the both of you. She brought back Lancelot under the form of a Shade."

Arthur and Gwen stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?"

"Lancelot didn't survive going through the veil on the Isle of the Blessed", Merlin said darkly. "He did die. Morgana used necromancy to bring back a Shade. It wasn't Lancelot. It was merely a living, walking and talking shape under the appearance of Lancelot. The real Lancelot would never have betrayed you this way, Arthur. And he never did."

Arthur had the motionless face he had when he heard something he couldn't believe. Gwen looked half disgusted, half astonished.

"I am sorry to bring back these memories", Merlin said. "But Lancelot was my friend. He was a man of honor. I will not have his memory tarnished by Morgana."

"Wait", Arthur said. "Lancelot was your friend?"

"Oh yes. He was a very old and good friend of mine. One of the best friends I ever had."

"He never mentioned you, though", Arthur said.

"And why would he mention a friend of his that had magic? It would have taken the both of us straight on to the pyre."

"How many other things do you not tell me?" Arthur asked, almost randomly.

This made Emrys laugh.

"Quite a lot, as a matter of fact. But I have told you, this is a story for another time."

"How I am supposed to trust you when I find out you're hiding all this from me?" Arthur exclaimed. "You just keep saying that you saved me, and that you saved Camelot and-"

_Not even Emrys can save you now._

The words suddenly flashed in his mind. And so did the memory: the throne room, the woman in front of him, with her tangled hair, and her eyes and voice full of hatred.

"That's where I heard your name!" he said. "Morgana mentioned it."

"So you've finally remembered, have you?" Merlin teased him grudgingly. "Took you long enough."

"Emrys", Gwen said, and Merlin could only appreciate how strange it felt to hear her use the name, "why did you do all this? Why did you risk your life to save me?"

Merlin looked at her, the beginning of a smile playing on his lips.

"You really want to know, don't you?"

"Well, yes", she said, looking puzzled. "Of course I want to know."

Merlin stared at them for a little longer before answering.

"I risked my life for you because I wouldn't see you dead. Arthur would never have got over it. And I wouldn't let it happen."

He found he was quite enjoying himself at their confusion.

"But why? Why did you care?" Gwen insisted.

Merlin had to suppress a laugh. He could obviously not casually reply _because I'm your best friend_. He considered doing it, but went back to reason.

"I have always cared", he said. "Not just for you and for Arthur, but for Lancelot, and the other Knights, and the whole of Camelot."

"Yes, you said that", Arthur said impatiently. "What we want to know is _why_."

Merlin couldn't see his own face, but he was convinced it must be extremely irritating. But when he spoke to Arthur this way, he couldn't help taking his I-know-more-than-you-think face.

"I have watched you all from far, for so long", he said. "How could I not care?"

"But we don't know you", Arthur said.

This was almost too much. Merlin chuckled.

"Oh, yes you do."

"How?" Gwen asked. "We've never met before."

Merlin stared at her, his blue eyes smiling mysteriously.

"I was in a disguise."

He could see that the words had their effect on Gwen. Unfortunately, he could also tell that they didn't entirely have the effect he would have wanted them to. She looked at him, looking extremely puzzled and disbelieving. Obviously the words rang a bell, but she just couldn't work out what they reminded her of.

"Well", he said, "if that's all you wanted to know…"

"Oh, no, that's not all I want to know", Arthur muttered, "but since you won't tell me anything…"

"Exactly", Merlin said, delighted. Arthur shot him an annoyed look. Merlin softened a little.

"I will tell you, Arthur. One day. Once this battle is over. One day you will know. But not today."

Arthur didn't insist. He and Guinevere walked away together.

Merlin watched them go.

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

He turned around; Gareth and Elaine were watching him, grinning.

"Shouldn't you be training?" he said.

"We spent the entire morning practicing with Iseldir", Elaine shrugged.

"And we just practiced sword with Elyan and Percival", Gareth added.

"Where's Mordred?" Merlin asked.

Elaine frowned and pointed at the young Druid who was fighting against Leon.

"And the worst part is, he _is_ pretty good with a sword", Gareth said darkly.

"Why can't you tell Arthur about him?" Elaine asked.

"I told you", Merlin said, "no matter what I do, he won't completely trust me before this battle is over. If I just tell him that one of his knights is a traitor, he might totally stop trusting me. He already doesn't always believe me when I'm Merlin, let alone when I'm in the disguise of a sorcerer…"

"So we just wait till he stabs Arthur in the back during the battle?" Gareth said.

"Look, there's nothing we can do, all right?" Merlin said annoyingly. "So unless you want to kill him right under Arthur's nose-"

"That's an idea", Elaine muttered, but Merlin ignored.

"-I think we should just wait for now."

"If he kills you, or Arthur, or anyone I know during the battle, I'll kill him", Elaine said. "And I don't care if Arthur sees me this time. He's wandered around for too long."

"The Druids will keep an eye on him", Merlin said.

"Aren't they supposed to do it quietly, then?" Gareth said, looking at something over Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin turned around to see what Gareth was talking about: Mordred and Iseldir were walking in their direction, though they didn't seem to pay attention to where they headed, as they were talking at the same time; or rather, Mordred was whispering to a very calm Iseldir, with what looked like anger on his face.

Merlin, Gareth and Elaine walked closer to the two Druids and realized that they were actually heading to the castle. Mordred didn't seem to notice he was followed.

As almost everybody was in the training field, they quickly found themselves alone near the door that led back to the castle, and started talking louder.

"You're betraying your kind", Mordred said with cold fury. "How can you do this? I would never have thought you would join forces with Arthur."

"You are blinded by hate, Mordred", Iseldir said very peacefully. "Long ago, you left us and you forgot how we Druids think. Arthur is no enemy of magic. If Morgana is defeated, he will no longer persecute those who practice it."

"I don't believe it. I've never seen him any different from his father."

"Except when he saved you from death and brought you back safely to us", Iseldir said, with his still calm voice.

"So what if he did? He saved my life once, and as far as I can remember, every time I narrowly escaped death after that, it was because of him. He slaughtered the Druid camp where I was living after leaving you. Had he found me, he would have killed me, just like his men tried to."

"You know this isn't true, Mordred", Iseldir said. "Arthur is not like his father. Even you must have seen the difference."

"If he is not like Uther, why didn't he allow magic sooner then? He's been king for a couple of years now. Why, in all this time, did Druids and sorcerers still live in fear, if he is supposed to be better than Uther? Because he would have sentenced them to death, just like his father sentenced me to death!" Mordred said coldly.

"You are like Morgana", Iseldir said sadly. "You are blinded by hatred of Uther. You chose to see him in his son. If you would look, truly and really, you would see how different the son is from the father. And you would also see that out of Uther's children, Arthur is not the one who most resembles him."

"How dare you", Mordred whispered, and it was almost as scary as if he'd shouted in anger. "Morgana is nothing like Uther."

"I do not wish to discuss this with you anymore", Iseldir sighed. "You blinded yourself in anger and hate, Mordred. I cannot talk with you this way."

"You're helping a man who helped slaughtering more Druids camp than I could remember", Mordred said coldly. "You're turning your back to your own kind. At least, Morgana and I know where our loyalty lies, and it is not with Camelot. It is with those who have magic."

"Morgana knows not of loyalty", Iseldir said.

"She knows more about it than you do", Mordred retorted.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that", Elaine said with a mocking voice.

Mordred span around to see Gareth, Elaine and Merlin staring at him. He looked on the verge of casting a spell on them, but thought better of it. He turned to Iseldir and said, lowering his voice in cold anger:

"You took care of me when I was a child, and I didn't want to kill you. You would do well to stay out of my way. I will try to spare your life during battle, but if you try to stop me or anyone allied with me, you will suffer the consequences. You Druids have chosen your side. I've chosen mine. I no longer count myself as one of your people."

Iseldir looked at him sadly.

"So be it", he said.

He hadn't finished talking when Mordred walked away.

Iseldir let out a deep sigh. "I would never have thought he could become this", he said.

"I know", Merlin said. "But it's too late now. In his mind, Arthur tried to kill him…and so did I."

He looked at his feet. How many more of his own enemies would he create? How many more of his friends would turn into foes, just like the Dragon foretold? He sincerely hoped that once the battle was over, all this would be behind him.

But even the thought of winning the battle lost its appeal, because he knew Mordred and Morgana would have to be killed. If they let them live, the future Gareth and Elaine had come back to prevent would take place again.

* * *

By the end of the day, Arthur gathered everyone in the training field.

"I wanted to tell you", he started, "that after these hard training sessions we've had, it will soon be time to really face the danger. Tomorrow at first light, we will ride to the plains of Camlann. I do not know if Morgana is waiting for us there." He hesitated, then added: "I have no idea about what awaits us there, to be honest. I am confident that with all the troops and-" he hesitated "-powerful sorcerers that have gathered for Camelot, it is in our power to defeat her. But I've learned not to underestimate Morgana. I cannot promise you victory. All I can promise you," he stared intensely at his troops, as though addressing personally to every one of them "is that I will lead you to battle and I will do everything in my power to lead you to victory. I promise you I will show that you are right to believe in me. I will prove it to you."

A long silence welcomed these words, interrupted by the knights' shouts of: "Long live the King!"

Everybody started going back to the castle.

Merlin was walking between Alator and Gareth, who had decided to be his bodyguards of the day.

"This is ridiculous", Merlin said grudgingly. "Mordred isn't going to attack me. He isn't stupid."

"Maybe", Gareth said, "but we're never careful enough, are we?"

Gwen and Mithian were walking on their level. The two women had almost immediately become the greatest friends. They practiced swordfight together during the day, and spent hours talking about several subjects, generally the battle that was going to take place.

"You are indeed quite handy with a sword", Mithian was telling Gwen. "It is not yet perfect, of course, but a very remarkable level for the daughter of a blacksmith."

"Not that much, actually", Gwen smiled. "I grew up surrounded by swords. That's also the way my brother learned."

"Oh yes, Elyan, isn't it?" Mithian said, looking in the crowd to locate Elyan.

"That's right", Gwen said. "He's over there, with Sir Leon."

"Oh, yes." Mithian examined the two men. "I would like to know more about this Leon. He is the only one to be a knight by birth, isn't he?"

"Yes", Gwen said, surprised. "Why?"

"Well, Arthur has a way of locating valuable people amongst commoners, doesn't he?" Mithian said, without any trace of mocking tone in her voice. "You, your brother, Sir Percival, Sir Gwaine…he even thinks very highly of his manservant. Sir Leon is the only noble by birth to be part of, well, Arthur's close circle of friends. He must be really brave and worthy."

"He is", Gwen said. "I've known him for a long time, because my mother used to be a maid in Sir Leon's household. Before the Round Table, he was probably the finest knight in Camelot."

"Really?" Mithian said. "Maybe it would be interesting to know him better, then."

She was still looking at Leon from far as she walked back in the castle with Gwen.

Later that evening, Merlin decided to go check if Arthur was all right. Gareth went back to Gaius's chambers with his sister, and Merlin managed to shake off Alator –he appreciated the man, but that didn't mean he wanted him constantly on his back.

He knocked on Arthur's door but didn't wait for a reply before walking in.

He had expected Arthur to be with Gwen at this hour, but he found him alone.

"I didn't tell you to come –oh, it's you", Arthur said, turning from the window.

"I thought you'd be with your wife", Merlin said.

"She is chatting with Mithian", Arthur said before muttering "Women."

Merlin chose his words.

"Are you ready?"

Arthur didn't answer immediately.

"I think I am. But it's like you said, we won't be sure of anything until we face her."

"You're doing your best", Merlin said. "If we lose tomorrow, it won't be your fault."

"I'm not sure my people will see it this way, if we're defeated", Arthur retorted.

"I think they will see it that way", Merlin said.

Arthur shot him a quick look.

"You're very confident about everything, aren't you?"

"I told you, I have faith in your destiny", Merlin started, but Arthur cut him.

"Will you please stop being so overly optimistic? You sound like Merlin before battles. Sometimes he takes that wise, confident kind of voice to tell me all sorts of rubbish about my destiny, and me being the Once and Future King or I don't know what…" he lowered his voice and added, more to himself than to Emrys, "and he's got this confident look that makes me almost less nervous...but what I am talking about, you don't even know who Merlin is", Arthur suddenly said.

It was all Merlin could do to stop himself laughing.

"It isn't that much rubbish", he said. "You _are_ the Once and Future King. It is your destiny, and you will prove it tomorrow."

Arthur stared at him, and then replied "I'll do my best."

They stared at each other for another few seconds before Arthur said: "We should get some rest. We have a long day ahead tomorrow."

Merlin nodded and headed to the door.

"And, Emrys?"

Merlin stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

Arthur gave him a sort of annoyed look.

"Make sure these old bones of yours don't slow us down, all right?"

Merlin chuckled.

"You'll remember this when you're as old as I am", he said.

"I hope so", Arthur said, "but my old years aren't my top priorities right now. We ride at dawn."

_Sixteen years later_

Kay, Caelia, Lyonora, Lionel and Anna were gathered in a circle around the fire. It cast light on their faces, along with a sweet, gold light cast by the sunset.

Every now and then, Anna would throw an anxious look towards the verge of the forest. Caelia knew she couldn't help trying to catch glimpses of Camelot.

"Stop doing that", Lyonora suddenly said, "it makes me nervous."

"Yeah, cause if she didn't do it you wouldn't be nervous at all", Kay teased her.

"Oh, stop it. You know what I mean", Lyonora said.

"We all do", Caelia assured her sister.

"We should be sleeping", Lionel said nervously. "Tomorrow is a long day."

"I'm not nervous, I just can't sleep with excitement", Kay mocked. "It's going to be very fun."

"Here's an idea, why don't you shut up", Lyonora snapped.

"You know, Kay", Caelia said, her eyes lost in contemplation of the fire, "I'm beginning to think it's an idea."

"You don't mean that, little sister", Kay shrugged.

"Are you _ever_ serious?" Lyonora said furiously.

"Nah, it's too boring", Kay said.

"Well, you might want to try", Lyonora snapped.

"Well, look at you. You're always serious, hence you're always boring", Kay said.

"Can't you give it a break? When do you two stop arguing?" Caelia exclaimed.

"Once every decade sounds good to me", Kay said.

"Oh, I'm tired of it", Anna snapped. "I'm going to sleep." She lied down on the grass and slid her arms under her head.

"Sweet dreams, little princess", said Kay as if he was singing.

"Stop calling me that!" Anna cried in her arms.

"You know, Kay", Caelia said, "You _could_ stop teasing us all like this."

"Oh, not you as well", Kay complained. "I'm just trying to diffuse the tension here."

Caelia looked at her brother as if she had just heard the stupidest thing ever. "Good job", she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing", she said. "Well, I think I'm going to sleep too. You do the first watch, Kay?"

"Sure", he said, picking up Excalibur.

"Don't stay awake for too long", Caelia said. "We attack at dawn."

* * *

**I don't know if I'm happy or not with this chapter, it was very difficult to complete. Hope you liked it! The great battle is getting nearer and nearer...please review and tell me what you think, it would make my day!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

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**MERLIN SEASON 5 IS OUT! I didn't see it yet, but I had to get it out of my system...can't wait to see it!  
**

**So here's the next one! Even I felt the tension while writing it...I hope you like it! And please, please review and tell me what you think, it really helps!  
**

* * *

Arthur looked at the empty plains of Camlann that would soon enough become a battlefield.

There was no sign of Morgana's army. He didn't think they had arrived yet, because the plains allowed no hill or even a tree to hide, but it was also possible that they had settled too far for him to see.

His blue eyes stared at the sky. In this mid-afternoon, the sun had already started its descent in the sky. Soon –too soon- it would be completely down, and then he would have to face the unavoidable.

His thoughts travelled back to Guinevere. He had told her goodbye this morning. It had been torture to split up. She probably had sensed it would be, from the moment he had stood in front of her, his face telling her it was time to go.

"Well", she had said, "this is it."

Arthur's eyes had looked down from her face to her belly. She had followed his gaze and rested a hand on it.

"I'll be fine", she had said.

"I wish I didn't have to go", Arthur had said.

Guinevere had sighed. He could tell she was holding back tears the best she could.

"If I don't make it back-" he had started, but she had cut him.

"Don't say that", she had said, placing both hands on his cheeks. "You _will_ come back, Arthur."

"If I don't", he had carried on, "promise me you will let our child know that I loved him, or her, and why I couldn't know him. Promise me you'll tell our child that I died for the love of my wife and my child to be born."

Tears had shined in Guinevere's eyes.

"I won't have to tell our child", she had said. "You will live. You will see me again."

Arthur allowed his mind to wander back at the feeling or her finger stroking his skin, at the sight of her beautiful face, her tearful eyes.

"You have truly become a great King", she had said. "I am so proud to be your wife. I am proud to carry your child."

And they had kissed.

What would he have not given to go back to that moment, when he was holding her in his arms…

Arthur blinked and shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to forget why he was here. He didn't have a choice; he had to fight Morgana.

His eyes scanned the plains again. He thought bitterly that he'd rather remember the image of the empty, quiet plains of Camlann, than what it would look like once the battle was over. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help some pictures to shape in his mind.

He looked behind him at the camp. They had arrived around midday, since then, he had allowed his troops to do whatever they wanted. Some of them, especially among his magical allies, had remained in their tents, probably practicing magic. But the very big majority of the army had continued to train outside after settling their tents.

He looked at Gareth and Elaine. Gareth was fighting Gwaine, and Elaine was practicing archery, alone with a target. Arthur noticed that she was quite good. He had forgotten, with the recent events, to ask the twins about their parentage. He had however noticed that they spent a lot of times with Emrys and the Druids, even if he had never seen them actually doing magic. He wasn't sure they were sorcerers, and didn't really care at the moment.

He noticed that Leon was also practicing archery with a crossbow, but he wasn't alone: he was with Mithian. The princess was as good as he remembered from the quick hunting party he had shared with her. Leon was better, though. He saw the knight talking to Mithian, as though giving her advice on how to place her crossbow to best hit the target. He said something that made Mithian smile.

His eyes flickered to Percival, who was training swordfight with Elyan. Alator of Catha was nowhere to be seen, but the two tall, muscled, shirtless guards that stood on each side of a tent indicated where he was. Iseldir was talking to a group of Druids.

He couldn't help the feeling that something was missing in the middle of this crowd. It took him a few moments to realize it was Merlin that missed.

He almost laughed at the thought. Who would have thought that he would miss his manservant? If he had been here, Merlin would probably have done something or say something, and as small as it was, this something would have eased a little the nervous knot in Arthur's chest. This was generally what happened before Arthur was about to hold an important fight. Once again, he wondered where the hell his friend was and what he was doing, but there wasn't much he could do about it right now, except curse.

He thought irritably that he may not have minded so much if he had at least known where Merlin was.

"Nervous?" And old voice said behind him.

He turned around and wasn't surprised to see Emrys staring at him.

"How come you always appear in my back without me hearing you?" Arthur asked. He wasn't really angry, but it intrigued him.

Emrys shrugged.

"I've had a lot of practice", he said, walking closer to be at Arthur's level.

Arthur looked back to the plains that extended before him.

"Well, obviously I'm a bit nervous", he said. "Aren't you?" he added.

Emrys didn't look at him. His blue eyes were fixed on the plains too.

"Not as much as I could be", he said.

Arthur didn't know what this meant, but he was beginning to get used to the sorcerer's strange way of speaking. As his eyes scanned the plains and the sky, a thought came to him.

"What will you do once this is over, Emrys?" he asked.

Emrys glanced quickly at him, but stared back at the plains.

"Once what is over?" he said.

Arthur vaguely showed the view before them with his chin.

"All this war. If we win, and the ban on magic is lifted. What will you do? Where will you go?"

He glanced at the sorcerer. There was a sparkle in his eyes. He looked like he was holding back a smile.

"Well, you wouldn't like it if I just disappeared without answering all your questions, would you?" Emrys answered.

This was, of course, the main reason why Arthur had asked the question. He was wondering if the old man would tell him everything he didn't know, as promised. After all, the sorcerer had a certain talent for disappearing in a few seconds, even in the middle of Camelot.

"It wouldn't be very fair", Arthur said.

Emrys let out a little laugh.

"I guess not. Well, I will probably stay around enough time for you to ask everything you want to know. But I can't promise anything."

"Why not?" Arthur asked.

Emrys took his time to reply. When he did, he wasn't looking at Arthur.

"Because…you may not like the answers to your questions. I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to let some time go by, and then come back and give you answers you are ready to hear."

"Why would I not like the answers to my questions?" Arthur asked.

Emrys raised his eyes heavenwards.

"Because as soon as you've got an answer, you ask another question, that's why!" he said, with the voice of Dragoon. "Can't you just do as you're told?"

Arthur waited a few seconds, then said: "If you help me defeat Morgana, and if you tell me exactly how you helped me these last years, you will not go unrewarded."

Emrys chuckled. "You promised you would lift the ban on magic", he said, grinning. "I seek no reward apart from that."

Arthur knew there was just no point insisting. He took his eyes off the old man and glanced once again at the sun.

"There is only one more reward I ask", he heard Emrys say.

He jumped –he thought the old man would be gone.

"Yes?" he said, looking at him.

The old sorcerer's face was inscrutable.

"Once I tell you what you want to know, you will listen to what I've got to say until the end."

Arthur scrutinized the blue eyes surrounded by wrinkles, but he couldn't find anything in them.

"All right", he said.

Emrys walked away.

* * *

Morgana looked outside her tent. The sun was now lower in the sky; the sunlight was taking a more reddish golden color. The moment, she knew, was closing in.

"Are you ready, Morgana?" Alvarr said behind her.

Morgana didn't turn around. "I'm going to enjoy this", she said.

"This is it", Alvarr said. "We have an immortal army. When the sun sets tonight, Camelot will be at our mercy."

"I know", Morgana said calmly.

She wasn't sure if she was happy or not at how Alvarr kept talking to her. She tried to stay away from him the best she could, but at the same time she couldn't help feeling alone. She would have liked to have Morgause or Mordred by her side. They were the only two people that had ever truly understood her.

_Were they?_

A little voice had whispered this thought in the back of her mind. Yes, Morgause and Mordred where the only ones that had really been there for her…weren't they?

She didn't have time to think this any more through. Mordred's voice had just echoed in her mind.

_Arthur's army has gathered on our side. They're ready._

Morgana took a deep breath. This was it.

She turned to Alvarr. "Did you hear?" she said.

Alvarr nodded.

"Then you know what you have to do", she said, and her voice gave nothing out. "Gather our men."

Alvarr nodded briefly, his face motionless. He turned around and walked to the camp.

She looked at what she could see of the plains between the trees. Soon, the place would not be as empty and clear as it was right now.

She heard the noises behind her, and minutes later her entire immortal army had gathered behind her. Alvarr, who thought of himself as her lieutenant, placed himself next to her. He was dragging her horse with him.

Morgana turned around to face her army. They were all looking at her, the sorcerers and the soldiers of Alined's army. With them, she was going to take back what should have been hers long ago.

She was going to win.

"It's time", she said.

* * *

The sun was now lower in the sky, and its rays cast a reddish-gold light on the plains of Camlann.

Arthur stood on his horse on one end of the battlefield. His entire army was behind him. Knights, sorcerers, Druids; no one was missing, except one person he didn't have time to think about. He had his armor on him, his sword by his side.

Now everybody was waiting.

They didn't show immediately. Slowly, through the light fog that clouded the further parts of the plains, dark silhouettes started to shape. Then, in the sunlight, a black banner, with the red symbol of the Old Religion, detached himself from the vague shapes. It was like a signal: within minutes, the entire of Morgana's army could be seen.

Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Emrys, who was standing next to him, harden.

Morgana was standing on the first line, right in the middle of it. She was dressed for battle. Arthur saw from far the man standing right next to her, and thought he recognized him as a sorcerer that had once been sentenced to death, a long time ago, but had escaped Camelot.

He took a deep breath. So did Emrys.

The banners of the Old Religion floated in a perfect line behind Morgana, in a deadly vision.

Morgana's army started to walk. More and more precise they grew, until everyone in Camelot's army could see that, just like them, Morgana's troops divided into the sorcerers, who formed the three first lines, and what was obviously Alined's men, lined up behind the magical people.

Arthur looked on his right, where Lord Godwin, Mithian, Annis, and Lord Hector were on their horses, just like him; one after the other, they nodded.

He then looked on his left: directly on his left, Emrys, whose eyes scrutinized the enemy, losing no detail of them; then, from the closer to the further, lined in this order, were Leon, Gwaine, Elyan and Percival. Alator of Catha was standing on the right end of the first line, next to Lord Hector. He was by foot. So was Iseldir, who stood on the left end of the first line, next to Percival.

Emrys's blue eyes met his. Right now, Arthur felt a very strange feeling, the feeling that he didn't need to say or do anything for the old man to understand exactly what he was thinking and what Arthur's blue eyes were telling him. He had only felt this way when he exchanged a glance with Merlin before a battle. He then looked at Leon, Gwaine, Elyan and Percival.

"Are you with me?" he said.

They didn't need to nod; they just looked back at him.

Arthur drew out his sword and held it high above his head. The light of the sun reflected on Excalibur, in a blinding light.

"FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!" he roared, and his voice echoed long after in the silence of the plains.

It didn't last long; the army behind him immediately replied.

"FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!"

Arthur lowered his sword.

His entire army started moving, the horses walking first slowly, and then galloping to meet the enemy.

Before them, Morgana, mirroring Arthur, took out her sword, and sent her horse forward. Her troops advanced after her, the banners seeming to fly towards the army of Camelot.

High above them in the sky, a couple of raven as black as the banners described circles above the two armies running one towards another. They knew, or sensed, that they would soon have a feast served to them and were waiting for it.

Closer and closer the two armies grew to one another, shorter and shorter the distance between them grew.

Arthur could see Morgana's face clearer now; he could almost see the sun in her eyes, giving them this almost transparent color.

Then, without any words spoken, the back lines of the two armies, obviously the non-magical parts of both sides, rode around the first lines and bypassed them; these two parts would meet first.

Arthur lowered the peak of his helmet.

* * *

Merlin's heart was pounding in his chest; in fact, it was the only thing he could hear. It was like the noises around him, hooves against the floor, metal of the swords being pulled out, were fading, or coming from very far away; his heart was louder.

In Merlin's chest, it gave a loud beat.

There were now about thirty feet away from one another. But the horses were fast. The distance reduced very fast too.

One beat echoed in his chest.

He couldn't tell whether time seemed to be going faster or slower. Probably both.

They were now twenty feet from the unavoidable.

Another beat.

Ten feet.

Another beat.

Five feet.

One beat. The two armies were almost colliding.

Three feet.

One beat…

They collided.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

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**A/N: So here's another one! Don't hate me at the end :) Thank you so much for your reviews and support! Can we reach, say, 35 reviews? Pleeeeeease?**

** midnightdove: thank you so much for you very nice review, it made my day! I'm glad to have a reader like you! I hope you like this one!  
**

* * *

The sun had not risen yet.

As quietly as they could, Kay, Caelia, Lyonora, Anna and Lionel were climbing the way up to the castle to get to the secret entrance that interested them.

Caelia's heart was hammering in her chest. She tightened her grip around the magical lance. As the eldest, Kay was carrying Excalibur; she was the second in age, so she had ended up with the lance. She would have liked her sister, Anna and Lionel to have a magical weapon as well; but they just had to make do with what they had, and it was already something to have the two most powerful weapons they could find against Morgana's men.

Up and up they climbed the side of the castle, until finally they found themselves in front of the opening in the stone wall. One by one, they slid into it and spotted the gate that would lead them to the dungeons. Unfortunately, they would have to run the way down in the open, and then make their way through the trees before getting to it.

Kay, who walked ahead, looked up to see a guard standing on a near tower. If he looked down now, they would be lost. Fortunately, next second the man turned his back on them and walked out of sight.

"Come on", Kay said in a breath.

Kay hurtled down first and managed to reach the trees unnoticed. He waited for a few seconds, then made a quick head gesture towards the others. One by one, Caelia, Anna, Lyonora and Lionel ran quietly after him and reached the trees that would hide them.

They fought their way through large tree leaves and branches until they caught sight of the gate, straight ahead of them.

But there was also a lonely guard, who stood in front of their only way inside the castle.

Kay cursed under his breath.

"What do we do?" Anna asked in a whisper.

"Not so loud", Kay whispered through gritted teeth. He was barely moving his lips to communicate. "We're gonna have to overpower him quickly and _quietly_." He gave his sister a quick move with his head. "Caelia, you come with me. The rest of you, stay here and _don't move_. Don't even breathe. If we don't manage it, don't wait for us, _run_. OK?"

Lyonora, Anna and Lionel nodded. Caelia was breathing so loudly she feared it would give them away to the guard.

Slowly, and doing her best not to make too much noise while pushing leaves out of her way, she followed her brother parallel to the guard. Then he stopped and said, in a barely audible whisper:

"I'll go first in front of him. When he sees me, you go out and get him from behind. You'll have to be quick. If anyone sees or hear anything, we're dead. Got it?"

If Caelia had been able to, she would have refused and told her brother that she would be the bait instead. But this wasn't the moment to argue with Kay's decisions, so she briefly nodded and held the lance so tight her knuckles turned white.

Kay casually walked out of the trees and stood right in front of the guard. When the man saw him, Kay gave him a large grin and waved at him.

The guard made to pull out his sword, but he didn't have time to take out so much as an inch: Caelia ran the lance through him before he could. The weapon pierced the flesh like water and went directly out of the man's heart.

Kay smiled at his sister and hurried to help her get the body out of the way. The man's death wasn't very pleasant to see: he was convulsing and blood was dripping from his lips. Once he was definitely dead, Caelia pulled the lance out the body and helped Kay push it in the trees where no one would see it.

Kay made a quick move with his head; Lyonora, Anna and Lionel hurried out of the trees and joined Kay and Caelia.

Lionel took a hook out of his belt; Lyonora pulled a rope out of hers. They tied the hook to the rope, and placed it on the gate. Kay picked up the rope and handed it to Caelia, who handed it to the rest of them.

"Ready?" Kay said.

They nodded. Caelia's palm felt sweaty on the rope.

"One…two…three!"

They pulled with all their strength. At first they thought the gate wasn't going to move, but they pulled ever stronger, and this time the gate fell on the grass after detaching itself from the stone with a quite loud metal noise.

"Was this your best idea of a quiet break-in?" Lyonora whispered furiously to Kay.

"If you had a better idea, why didn't you speak it up?" Kay replied. "Come on, I don't think they've heard the noise yet."

One by one, the five of them hurried in the opening and started making their way through the dark tunnel, almost sticking to the stone walls. Kay was first, and was moving as slowly as on the hunting parties, when they were careful not to make any noise not to frighten the game.

He stopped dead at the end of the tunnel. He could hear faint noises coming from what must be the dungeons. He leaned forward and caught sight of a group of guards sitting together around a small table.

"Do you have a plan?" Caelia said in a breath.

"I think I've got one", Kay whispered back, "but it's risky. And very tricky and complicated. I'll go first."

Before Caelia could stop her brother, Kay walked out of his hiding place and stood in front of the guards, but they didn't see him as they were concentrated on the jug of wine placed in the middle of them.

Kay put two fingers in his mouth and whistled so loudly it echoed in the tunnel.

The guards jumped on their feet and caught sight of Kay who was just hurrying back to the tunnel. They ran after him and followed him in the tunnel, where they found themselves surrounded by Lyonora, Anna and Lionel. They put up a fight, but it didn't take five minutes for Kay to kill a couple of them with Excalibur, and for Caelia to finish the last one with the lance.

"Is that what you call a _very tricky and complicated _plan?" Lyonora asked Kay.

"Well, you can't deny it was risky", Kay grinned. "It's the first Father taught me."

"You know, it's a good thing Excalibur makes them explode", Caelia pointed out, "because gone as it is, we're gonna leave quite a number of bodies behind us. It'll end up looking suspicious."

"Yeah, because trying to take Camelot back with weapons stolen from Morgana isn't suspicious at all", Lyonora teased.

"Maybe if we leave enough bodies behind us, it'll help finding our way back, if we need to", Kay suggested.

"Yes, could we keep moving, please?" Anna said irritably. "We're not here to chat."

"Sorry, little princess", Kay said. "All right, come on."

They hurried to the dungeons and inspected the cells; there was nobody to be seen.

"Where's my mother?" Anna asked nervously.

"If she's serving Morgana, then she's probably not in the cells", Lionel observed. "But why isn't there _anybody_? Surely someone must have survived apart from the Queen?"

They all looked at each other, no one daring to speak what they thought.

They walked further and reached the stairs that led out of the dungeons-

Only to find a dozen of Morgana's men, standing on the top of the stairs and waiting for them.

Kay grinned.

"Looks like the real fun hasn't begun yet", he said.

Caelia and Lyonora cast him the same glance.

"All right, just kidding", he said. "Ready? GO!"

All five of them rushed in the stairs and climbed them up. The guards hurtled down the stairs to them, brandishing their swords. Kay beheaded the first one that was close enough to him; Caelia drew out her sword and put up the fight with a guard; she managed to block a blow, and, taking advantage of the opening it left her, she ran her lance through the man. She immediately pulled the lance out the body and brutally smashed another man on the head with her sword, knocking him out. Behind her, Lyonora sent a man tumbling down the stairs; Anna was fighting a guard, but she was smaller and less strong; Lionel beheaded him.

Eventually, all the guards were killed by Excalibur, ran through by the lance, or beheaded.

Kay looked admiringly at the bodies, then at his sisters and friends.

"I see what you mean, that's a lot of bodies we're leaving behind us", he said. "Come on, let's go."

They hurried up the stairs. Kay opened the door, threw a glance at the corridor.

"No one out there", he said. "Come on."

They walked in the corridor, all their senses and swords at the ready. The silence was oppressing.

"We have to find my mother", Anna said.

"She'll be in Morgana's chambers", Lionel said.

"We haven't got time to lose", Lyonora said. "If we're looking for Guinevere, then we'd better hurry. By the way, does anyone happen to know where Morgana's chambers are?"

"I think so", Anna said nervously.

"Shh!" Kay whispered. "Someone's coming. Get in there, quick!"

Quickly, they crammed into a dark corner. It wasn't easy to stay still when five persons were packed in such small space, and all of them were tensed and held their swords, but they managed not to move and a bunch of guards passed by without noticing them.

Only when the men's steps died away did they breathe again.

"All right", Kay said. "Anna, show me the way to Morgana's chambers. But I'm first."

One by one, they slid out of their hiding place and walked through corridors. Anna was giving Kay instructions, but she wasn't sure of the exact location of the rooms they were looking for. Once, she led Kay to a door then suddenly remembered it wasn't this one and they had to go back.

"Are you absolutely sure you know where they are?" Lyonora finally asked irritably.

"Yes!" Anna replied in a furious whisper, crossed. "I just haven't been there for a very long time! But this time I'm sure we've got to go this way."

They didn't have a choice; they followed Anna's instructions.

Caelia was tensed.

"You're all right?" Lionel asked.

"Well, it's just…don't you think it's strange that we didn't meet anybody since the dungeons?" she said. "It's like the whole place's deserted."

"Let's not complain for now", Lyonora said.

"It's suspicious, though", Kay said. "Let's be on our guard."

The minute he told that, what looked like an entire squad of soldiers appeared in a staircase and rushed straight at them.

"Good thinking, Caelia", Kay said. "Be ready!"

They held their swords tight and started the fight.

They found that even with two weapons fit to kill the guards, it was a lot easier to fight a dozen of them than about twenty. They had to fight four guards each and they could afford no resting time: every time one was down, another turned up. And they quickly realized that reinforcements kept coming from the stairs.

"Get back!" Kay said, after slashing two opponents with one move of his sword.

He didn't need to tell them; the soldiers pushed them further and further in the corridor.

Caelia's heart hammered in her chest. She had run through too many men with the lance for her to count; and still, they kept attacking.

"Run! Come on, run!" Kay shouted.

Lyonora would have wanted to continue the fight; Kay grabbed her arm and dragged her with him. Caelia, Anna and Lionel ran for their lives. The men ran after them like one.

Every few seconds, they shot glances behind them to check where their followers were. One man bypassed the others and started closing in alarmingly fast; Caelia threw the lance at him with all her might. The lance landed straight into his chest. She hurried to get the weapon back and followed her friends.

Now and then, men caught up with them; when they did, everyone did his best to slay as many as possible. Caelia would have wanted to keep an eye on Anna and Lyonora, who were nearer to her, but she just couldn't; nobody could care about anyone except himself.

The knights chased them through endless corridors, until Kay led them to a passageway that led out in the courtyard.

The soldiers, who didn't know the castle, didn't immediately notice where they had gone. It gave Kay and Caelia the time to hide behind a cartwheel. But Anna, Lyonora and Lionel, who were behind, didn't run as fast as them and didn't have time to reach the cartwheel before their pursuers caught up with them.

Kay and Caelia had to jump out from behind the cartwheel and hurried to help their younger sister and friends. They fought the best they could, but the men kept coming. Caelia threw her lance in one of her enemies and beheaded one of them in the same move; Kay's sword slashed three men in a row. Lionel was defending Anna his best, while the princess covered back for him. But now that the men had found the passage that led from the castle to the courtyard, they kept flooding out of it and streaming on the five teenagers who put up the fight the best they could.

Kay suddenly froze in the middle of a fight; narrowly blocking out a blow, he ran through his opponent with Excalibur, then took a quick look around him to see who was closer to him, shouted: "Lionel!" and threw his sword to his friend, who managed to catch the weapon. Kay started running to the cartwheel and then, with all his might, pushed it forward. The cartwheel hurtled down the stone and stopped in front of the passage, running over two men in the process.

Kay hurried back into the fight; they were still quite outnumbered, but at least they had stopped the reinforcements that kept streaming at them. But he didn't have time to enjoy his victory; as soon as he was back in the fight, the only thing he could concentrate on was how to block his enemy's blows and kill him.

Caelia had seen that her brother had cut their way to Morgana's men, but just like him, she couldn't afford thinking about anything else than her own fight. Out of the corner of her eye, she barely noticed that Anna, Lionel and Lyonora were being forced back against the wall, but she was already fighting almost two or three men at once. She managed to run one of them through with the lance, the moment a sword slashed her arm.

She let out a scream of pain, span around and cut the man's hand off in a row, disarming him in the process; she thrust the lance in his torso, took it off, and started to fight another man. She immediately felt she would have more difficulty ending up this one; he was taller than her, very fast, and had a footwork superior to hers. She walked back to try and keep some distance between them, but with a large movement of his sword, the man sent hers flying out of her hand; in a desperate attempt to catch it back, she tripped and fell on the floor.

She remained there, panting, looking at the man above her; her sword lay one or two feet away from her. She tried to reach out for it, but her opponent stepped on her hand. She let out a gasp of pain as the man's large foot crushed her fingers, and looked straight at the man's cold eyes. If she was going to die, she wouldn't beg for her life; she would die proudly, her head high in front of the enemy.

The man raised his sword, and lowered it, his sword hissing through the air.

Her last thought was for Gareth.

She was about to shut her eyes and receive the sword in her body when a loud clash of metal echoed in the courtyard as Kay's sword appeared out of nowhere.

"RUN!" her brother shouted, as he started the fight with her previous opponent.

Caelia quickly got on her feet and picked up her sword. Her fingers were numb and a painful bruise was shaping on the back of her hand.

She looked up and saw that Anna, Lyonora and Lionel were cornered and surrounded by at least ten men. Caelia threw her lance into one of them; Lionel managed to get it out of the body and started running through the others with the weapon. One or two of them went after Caelia; after a quick fight, she beheaded one of them, and Kay took the fight with the other.

She was now catching a clearer sight of Lionel, Anna and Lyonora; they had managed to get rid of most of their opponents. By the time she hurried towards them, her steps echoing on the pavements, the lance had killed them all.

Lionel grinned at Caelia. She expected Anna and Lyonora to do the same, but they didn't. She looked at them and then heard a heartbreaking sob and a scream.

"_No!_"

An ice-like hand smashed on Caelia's heart and squeezed it so tight she could hardly breathe. An angst feeling started creeping up from her chest to her throat as she looked down at Anna and saw that she was crying, kneeling on the floor beside the body of a girl who was still and losing her blood on the floor.

Caelia didn't really feel her lips moving, but she certainly heard the scream that echoed through the courtyard.

"LYONORA!"

Like in a nightmare, she started running, and she barely felt her feet carrying her as fast as they could to Anna. Lionel had seen it too and was kneeling down beside Anna. Caelia didn't know for how long she ran, it could have been a minute or it could have been days and nights, but eventually she reached them and almost fell on the ground as she crouched beside Anna and looked down at the lifeless face of her sister.

"Lyonora…_Lyonora…_"

The name slid off her lips like a leitmotiv; her mouth moved without her making it, but she couldn't help the name of her sister getting out of it, perhaps hoping desperately that if she called for her enough times, Lyonora would get up, and life would return to her green eyes.

But she didn't.

"No! _No_…Lyonora…_LYONORA_!"

Her hand was shaking as she rested it gently on her sister's cheek, on her reddish-blonde curls.

"Lyonora!"

She only heard her brother's voice because it didn't sound like Anna's sobs next to her. She looked up and, through her eyes filled with tears, she managed to see Kay walking to them, closer and closer, until finally he was close enough to see his sister's body. His mouth opened slightly, his face motionless, and his knees gave away beneath him, and while one hand stopped him from falling on the floor, the other kindly placed itself on Lyonora's face.

Caelia did nothing to stop the cold yet burning, painful tears from rolling down her cheeks. She crouched over her sister's body, one hand stroking her hair, the other holding her hand. It wasn't yet cold, it was still hot, maybe there was some hope, maybe there was some life left on her sister's body…

But nothing happened, the body just remained there, blood streaming down on the ground out of it, and tears blinded Caelia as the understanding crashed on her like a and she realized that Lyonora was dead.

She heard Kay above her. He was panting like a hurt animal.

"I should have protected you", he whispered. "I should have protected you…I'm sorry, Nora…I should have protected you."

Loud noises echoed in the courtyard; the soldiers were beginning to get the cartwheel out of the way.

"They're coming", Lionel said. "We need to get away. Come on, we need to go."

Anna was now sobbing silently; she got on her feet, slightly tripping, and pressed her hands on her mouth. But Caelia didn't see that. She was crying over Lyonora's face, and she didn't think she could ever take her eyes off her sister's green ones, no matter what little life she saw in it.

"We have to go", Lionel said in a choked voice. "Come on. Come _on_!"

They had almost moved the cartwheel out of the way now. Kay stood up. His face was white and shaking with anger.

"I'm going to kill them all", he said through gritted teeth. "I'm going to run them through. All of them."

"We have to find Morgana!" Lionel said. "Come on, we can't stay here!"

"W-we have t-to find m-my mother", Anna hiccoughed through her hands still pressed on her mouth, tears rolling down her face.

Kay's eyes shined with a new determination. He crouched on the floor and pushed Caelia out of the way.

Caelia didn't notice it was her brother's hand that had pushed her; her hand held on desperately to Lyonora's, and the tears felt even more painful as she felt that this hand was becoming to lose its heat, as if her sister was slowly backing away from her.

A firm hand grabbed hers.

"Let her go, Caelia", Kay's soft but determined voice said.

Before she could, her brother took Lyonora in his arms and took her off the floor. Caelia would have let nothing part her from her sister, but Lyonora's white fist slid out of her shaking hand.

"Come on", Kay said. He was livid, but his dark eyes had a new dark fire in them. They were almost scary.

Caelia forced herself on her knees, and barely felt Lionel's grasp on her fingers as he dragged her along. Then she saw the cartwheel being brutally pushed aside, and her survival instinct suddenly took over, even if she was surprised she could still care.

She followed the others and the four of them started to run for their lives out of the courtyard, Lyonora's lifeless body balancing on Kay's shoulder.

* * *

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